Books, Travel, Study and Planning a Move.

So I have been planning to update recently with some book reviews but I keep getting distracted by starting to read other good books- I highly recommend the Divergent books by Veronia Roth and the Newsflesh Trilogy by Mira Grant- so those posts will come when I hit a wall in the book reading. I have also been very busy on another note.

I started looking for jobs for when I finished being an au pair, and I was looking all over Europe, not just in Finland to find as many opportunities as possible. I ended up applying for a job in Rhodes, Greece, and I got it! So I will be moving to Greece as of the 29th of August... that gives me just under 3 weeks until I move.

I also travel to Ireland next week for a friends wedding! YAY! Weddings! YAY! Travel! I am there for a week and then when I come back, I think I will have two days here in Vaasa before I travel south and visit friends in Turku for a few days and then a day or so in Helsinki. I am tempted to try get in a day trip to Tallinn just for the hell of it before I leave as well. I love Tallinn and I don't know when I will get a chance to visit again. This also means that I have to do most of my packing for the move before I even go to Ireland, so that I just have to really worry about packing what I take to Ireland with me when I get back to Finland.

On top of all that planning, I have been doing the Archaeology MOOC that I talked about a few posts ago. The final exercise was due last week and the results were given this morning. I got full marks for everything! YAY! I'm happy with that because, apart from my language classes which have often been fairly informal in terms of any kind of homework, it is the first study I have really done on anything since high school. It was really fun and interesting too. I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in history. It is run through the Coursera website and is called Archaeology's Dirty Little Secrets. I will probably also post some more of the stuff I wrote for exercises here at some point. One of the other students had the idea to start a blog for the students to post to with different archaeological themed things and I am going to be a contributor to that as well.

So basically to sum up my life I have been busy. Things are going to get fun and exciting over the next few weeks. I am excited to go to Greece and sad to be leaving Finland. Also I have never been to Greece so I can't wait to see some of the historical sites. At least the history geek inside of me will have fun!

Well that's all for now folks! I will try to post something up between Ireland and Greece at the very least.


~~Random Logic~~

0.4 Book Review

 'My name is Kyle Straker. And I don't exist anymore.' 

So begins the story of Kyle Straker, recorded on to old audio tapes. You might think these tapes are a hoax. But perhaps they contain the history of a past world...

If what the tapes say are true, it means that everything we think we know is a lie. 

And if everything we know is a lie does that mean that we are, too?

 ---

Have you ever picked up a book just because the title intrigued you? Ever read a book like that, and been glad that you got your hands on it? I did just that last Saturday at the library. I decided to see what books they had in English for younger readers and came across a book called 0.4 by Mike Lancaster.

Even though I had read the blurb on the back, I didn't really know what to expect. It has one of thost intriguing blurbs that doesn't really tell you what is going to happen but makes you want to read.

Opening it and reading the first page only confirmed what a good idea it was to pick it up.

WARNING

THIS DATA STORAGE UNIT, OR "BOOK", HAS BEEN DESIGNED TO REPROGRAM THE HUMAN BRAIN, ALLOWING IT TO REPLICATE THE LOST ART THAT WAS ONCE CALLED "READING". IT IS A SIMPLE ADJUSTMENT AND THERE WILL BE NO NEGATIVE OR HARMFUL EFFECTS FROM THIS PROCESS.

WHAT YOU ARE DOING: "READING" EXPLAINED

EACH SHEET IS INDELIBLY PRINTED WITH INFORMATION AND THE SHEETS ARE VISUALLY SCANNED FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, AND FROM TOP TO BOTTOM.

THIS SCANNED INFORMATION IS PASSED THROUGH THE VISUAL CORTEX DIRECTLY INTO THE BRAIN WHERE IT CAN BE ACCESSED, JUST LIKE ANY OTHER DATA.

With a first page like that, it is the perfect book for someone who loves to read.

The book is from the point of view of a boy called Kyle Straker. It is revealed that the story was found recorded on old cassette tapes belonging to his father and that it has been released in book format for a reason. A reason that will become clear to the reader, as they are reading.

It is a fast book by nature of the story. Whilst recounted after the facts, almost the entire story takes place in the period of a single day.

We find that on this normal day Kyle woke up and went to watch the annual talent show in his village. He volunteered to be hypnotised and by that simple action decided his future. When he wakes up after the hypnotism he and the other volunteers find everyone else frozen in a moment of time. It is at this point that the story really starts.

I won't say anymore of what happens but I will recommend this book to anyone who doesn't mind teen fiction and likes a bit of dystopian sci-fi. It is definitely worth reading and will make you think at least a little bit.


Random Logic

‘My name is Kyle Straker and I don’t exist any more.’ So begins the story of Kyle Straker, recorded on old audio tapes. You might think these tapes are a hoax. But perhaps they contain the history of a past world . . . If what the tapes say are true, it means that everything we think we know is a lie. And if everything is a lie does that mean that we are, too? Plug into a gripping new generation of sci-fi.

Read More at http://booknerd.ca/review-0-4-by-mike-a-lancaster/, Written by Giselle, Copyright © BO-OK NERD CANADA

‘My name is Kyle Straker and I don’t exist any more.’ So begins the story of Kyle Straker, recorded on old audio tapes. You might think these tapes are a hoax. But perhaps they contain the history of a past world . . . If what the tapes say are true, it means that everything we think we know is a lie. And if everything is a lie does that mean that we are, too? Plug into a gripping new generation of sci-fi.

Read More at http://booknerd.ca/review-0-4-by-mike-a-lancaster/, Written by Giselle, Copyright © BO-OK NERD CANADA

‘My name is Kyle Straker and I don’t exist any more.’ So begins the story of Kyle Straker, recorded on old audio tapes. You might think these tapes are a hoax. But perhaps they contain the history of a past world . . . If what the tapes say are true, it means that everything we think we know is a lie. And if everything is a lie does that mean that we are, too? Plug into a gripping new generation of sci-fi.

Read More at http://booknerd.ca/review-0-4-by-mike-a-lancaster/, Written by Giselle, Copyright © BO-OK NERD CANADA

‘My name is Kyle Straker and I don’t exist any more.’ So begins the story of Kyle Straker, recorded on old audio tapes. You might think these tapes are a hoax. But perhaps they contain the history of a past world . . . If what the tapes say are true, it means that everything we think we know is a lie. And if everything is a lie does that mean that we are, too? Plug into a gripping new generation of sci-fi.

Read More at http://booknerd.ca/review-0-4-by-mike-a-lancaster/, Written by Giselle, Copyright © BO-OK NERD CANADA

The Stormlord Trilogy Book Review.

Title/Author: The Stormlord Trilogy: The Last Stormlord, Stormlord Rising and Stormlord's Exile by Glenda Larke
Publisher/Year: Orbit Books. 2009, 2010 and 2011.
How I Got This: The library
Why I Read It: It looked interesting and I enjoy fantasy novels
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

------

Ever get one of those moments when you read a book and finish it and then just want to tell everyone about it?

A few weeks ago I started reading a trilogy of books called The Stormlord Trilogy(Goodreads lists them as the Watergivers trilogy) by Glenda Larke. The books are The Last Stormlord, Stormlord Rising and Stormlord's Exile. They are about 600 pages each and tell the story of a parched land(The Quartern) where those who have water have power. Some are born with the ability to manipulate water and they, at their strongest are- The stormlords, rainlords and reeves. They each have their roles to play in society in order to ensure the lands of the Quartern recieve enough rain to fill their cisterns and to make sure nobody wastes that water.

The first book starts with the land in grave peril. There is only one stormlord left in the land with the ability to bring rain to the Quartern and he is old and ill. The rainlords are sent on a hunt to try find more people with water powers. It does not however remain as simple as that with not all the rainlords being content to do what they are told. What follows are power struggles as the different peoples in the land fight for what they believe and to have power over the sole stormlord in the Quartern once the previous one has passed away.

Cities are burned, enemies made and destroyed as easily as friends are made.

Into this all comes mysterious new power giving a rainlord the ability to shift sands after a near death experience as well as a man with a mysterious painting talent and a girl who he claims is his great granddaughter and both with the ability to change the future.

But the most important character of all is the waterless (born without the right to free water), outcast, son of a man who may turn out to be either the saviour or the death of the Quartern. Born with water powers his story intersects in the lives of every character in the books. Imprisoned by a rogue rainlord after his town and family are destroyed and/or imprisoned he is educated and taught to use his water powers but not expected to think much for himself. He rebels against what is expected and forges his own path that changes everything.

My favourite thing about these books is although different chapters will focus on different characters you are never left to read about the same characters for long enough to get bored and really just want to see what is happening to another character (something that I occasionally have felt whilst reading The Wheel of Time series).

My second favourite thing about these books is the pace. The first book is over 600 pages long and the other two are just on and under 600 pages but they don't drag. They are fun to read- I read the second and third books in the last four days without getting bored.

And last but not least- as a trilogy that is complete, you aren't left waiting months or years to read the next book that might be written. You aren't left with an annoying cliffhanger ending that makes you want to cry because the next book is nowhere in sight. Anticipation is great and all but with fantasy books that run to 600 pages the wait can just turn a person off if it all drags on too long!

If you are looking for a great fantasy read then I would strongly recommend these books. I would not hesitate to reread them in the future myself.

55 Bookish Questions

In trying to decide what I was going to write for my blog and looking for bookish memes I came across this booking quiz here. It turned out to be both easier and harder than expected. I hope this gives a little insight into my reading habits.

~~~

1. Favorite childhood book?
The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton and A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

2. What are you reading right now?
Well I literally just finished Stormlord Rising by Glenda Larke. The next book I read will be Stormlord's Exile by the same author.

3. What books do you have on request at the library?

None at the moment.

4. Bad book habit?
Buying books when I am overseas and knowing that I will have to sacrifice some when I leave.

5. What do you currently have checked out at the library?
Stormlord Rising and Stormlord's Exile by Glenda Larke
Sacrifice and Heretic by Sarah Singleton

6. Do you have an e-reader?
Yup. A Kobo. I don't use it very often though. I prefer to read actual books and I bought the Kobo mostly for travelling.

7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?
It depends on my mood and the book. Often I will have several going but across varying genres so that I can match my book to my mood.

8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?
No.

9. Least favorite book you read this year (so far?)
This year... Oh wow. I can't really remember all the books I have read this year... maybe Time Riders by Alex Scarrow. I managed to get about halfway through I think but it just didn't hold my interest.

10. Favorite book you’ve read this year?
I'm gonna go for The Stormlord Trilogy by Glenda Larke but I also really enjoyed reading The Judas Strain, The Devil Colony and Bloodline from the SIGMA Force series by James Rollins, not to mention The Sacred Vault by Andy McDermott.

11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone?
Well I guess it depends what is out of your comfort zone. I like to read a wide range of genres so I don't really have much of a comfort zone.

12. What is your reading comfort zone?
I don't know.

13. Can you read on the bus?
All the time. It makes the trips go by so much quicker.

14. Favorite place to read?
In bed.

15. What is your policy on book lending?
It depends on the person and how much I want them to read the book. If I know they love and respect books then I am more likely to lend.

16. Do you ever dog-ear books?
Never!

17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books?
Nope. I've never had an urge to.

18. Not even with text books?
Well maybe a little bit of writing but mostly it was highlighting parts I needed to pay more attention to.

19. What is your favorite language to read in?
English... I'm not quite at the read in Finnish level yet.

20. What makes you love a book?

Characters, plot, and the writing itself. You can have a great plot and characters but if it isn't well written it's horrible. I think you could have any two of these three and without the third the book just wouldn't be good enough for me to love.... Epic heroics also help.

21. What will inspire you to recommend a book?
See above ^^^ Also if the book has stuck in my head then it has done something right.

22. Favorite genre?
I don't have any one genre that stands out above the rest. I would have to say that Fantasy, Science Fiction and Action/adventure would be at the top.

23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did?)
Non-Fiction... I do read some but not as much as I would like.

24. Favorite biography?
The Happiest Refugee by Ahn Do

25. Have you ever read a self-help book?
No.

26. Favorite cookbook?
I've only ever bought one so it would have to be The Food & Cooking of Finland by Anja Hill.

27. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)?
Tomorrow, When The War Began by John Marsden... Everytime I read it it makes me think hard.

28. Favorite reading snack?
Anything that's tasty and I don't have to concentrate on to eat.

29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience.
Harry Potter. Everyone loved it but I really didn't.

30. How often do you agree with critics about a book?
I rarely read reviews on books so I can't really say that I ever agree or disagree.

31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?
I don't often dislike books but when I do there is no point in pretending that I do like it. I just say that I disliked the book.

32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you chose?
Finnish... because if I am reading in it then I'm probably speaking it fluently! (I hope!)

33. Most intimidating book you’ve ever read?
I don't think I've ever truly been intimidated by a book that I can remember but if I had to choose probably reading The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.
 

34. Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin?
The Hunger Games in Finnish. I will get there! I will read it!

35. Favorite Poet?
Dorothea Mackellar or William Blake. I can't decide.

36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?
About 10.

37. How often have you returned book to the library unread?
Rarely. Maybe 1 in every 50 books I borrow.

38. Favorite fictional character?
Ellie Linton or Alanna of Pirates Swoop and Olau.

39. Favorite fictional villain?
This was hard to think of but I will go with Duke Roger of Conté from the Song of the Lioness Quartet by Tamora Pierce. Honourable mention to President Snow of The Hunger Games.

40. Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation?
Tomorrow, When The War Began and in general action/adventure and crime novels.

41. The longest I’ve gone without reading.
A week? I read every day if I can whether an actual book or just some fanfiction.

42. Name a book that you could/would not finish.
Emma by Jane Austen. I had to read it for school and just couldn't do it.

43. What distracts you easily when you’re reading?
Food? I can really get into books and block out the world all around me.

44. Favorite film adaptation of a novel?

Tomorrow When The War Began

45. Most disappointing film adaptation?
The Lovely Bones. I loved the book but really really didn't enjoy the film.

46. The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time?
I think I spent about $80 when the last Borders store was closing in Sydney.

47. How often do you skim a book before reading it?
Rarely. I usually just read the blurb and make a decision from that.

48. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through?
If it was boring me and I was having to force myself to read it.

49. Do you like to keep your books organized?
Well I try but it's hard when you don't have space for your books or you create piles of books to be read.

50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them?
Keep. I don't like to give away books.

51. Are there any books you’ve been avoiding?
Lord of the Rings and Pride and Prejudice

52. Name a book that made you angry.
No book has ever made me angry, but many have made me sad.

53. A book you didn’t expect to like but did?
Sahara by Clive Cussler. My dad was constantly going on about how good he thought Clive Cussler was and how much better than the movie the book was. Usually this means I don't like the book but I really enjoyed it. I am also now a massive Clive Cussler fan and dad probably regrets telling me about him because I permanently borrow his books.

54. A book that you expected to like but didn’t?
Emma by Jane Austen. I had to read this for school. I was excited to read it. I really tried and started reading it early and it made me fall asleep on the first page. I forced myself to read 12 chapters but still couldn't get into it.

55. Favorite guilt-free, pleasure reading?
Tomorrow Series by John Marsden, and anything Star Wars.

~~~

Random Logic

Babbling About Books

So I've just been sitting here this evening thinking about books.

About 6 months ago on Facebook I started following a page called Books Are Magic. I came across it via a friend sharing one of their pictures and just kept following. Almost everytime I see one of the pictures/memes they post I have to agree with them. Sometimes I read whatever it is and just want to yell and scream out "THAT'S MEEEEEEEEE!". I also through these pictures come across a Tumblr page called Confessions of a Compulsive Reader. There goes the rest of my evening!

Anyway I think I will share here a few of the things that Books Are Magic have shared on their page with you. My favourites as you will. And then maybe if I can motivate myself I will do this more again.

Here we go in no particular order:

1.

This one is one that is very, very true for me. My friends in high school would literally drag me out of bookstores or even just grab my arm before I could walk in. If I forced myself to walk past without going in they congratulated me.

2.

This one is so true that I did actually laugh when I read it. I have quite often said that when I get my own house I will have a room in that house that would be a dedicated library. A room where I can have my books and sit and read and just relax and escape from the world all around. It will have an epic cushioned window seat and bookshelves that line the walls to the ceiling. It will have at least one beanbag and it will be mine.

3.

This one was only posted today but I would definitely agree with it. Sometimes something happens in a book and I just have to shut the book, squeeze my eyes shut and breathe. Either that or I yell at the character something along the line of "Nooo! You stupid! Don't do that! Grrrr!"

4.

Oh books, how I wish I could dedicate my time to you. And my entire paycheck. Alas! 'Tis not to be!

I used to work right near a bookstore in Sydney called Basement Books. It was heaven and hell all in one. I spent most lunchtimes in there and I am pretty sure I bought at least one book a week there... at least. I love that shop. If I was going to the city of a weekend too, then I would also visit. A year or so after that I was working somewhere else and found a St Vincent De Paul shop with a fantastic and extremely cheap selection of second hand books. I got most of the Kathy Reichs and Patrica Cornwell books I own from there. I miss working near that shop.

5.

This is probably the most accurate description I have ever seen and read for a bookworm and the need to finish a book or read before bed. It is entirely true for me and I am sure many other people. I frequently fool myself into thinking I am going to go to bed early or that I can survive of 5 hours sleep. It never works out as planned.

6.

My friends have often joked about the size of my handbags or the amount of stuff I take with me. The truth? I refuse to buy a handbag unless it is big enough for my wallet, glasses case, keys, drink bottle and... a book. Bonus points to a bag that is big enough to hold a hardcover novel. Triple bonus points if it is big enough for that second book to take with me for when I finish the first one. In fact if I go somewhere without a book... I kind of feel naked.

7.

This one ties in with the previous one. I always want to take more books with me than there is room for. Recently I went to Estonia for just over a week. I had several books I wanted to finish but couldn't take them all. In the end I compromised and took a couple of books and my Kobo ereader. It is for reasons like this I bought the Kobo in the first place. It will never replace the need for real books though. I went to Spain in September and took one book with me only. I read it one and a half times on that trip between all the touristy stuff.

8.

This is pretty much accurate. I read books in bed every day. I would rather be lying on my bed and reading most of the time than sitting on the couch in the loungeroom. I think this all comes from the fact that reading in my room as a kid was a lot quieter than reading in the loungeroom. Also that's where my books are all kept.

9.

This one just made me laugh when I saw it. Pretty much describes my feelings when I really get into a book. I imagine exactly how the characters are and then nothing can really change that even if the book gets made into a movie.

10.

This is a true problem for me at times. I get really into my books and don't notice what is happening around me sometimes. And it's not just something that has started happening now I am a bit older. When I was in primary school we had something called Silent Reading Time for about 15 minutes after recess. One day I got so sucked into the book I was reading that it wasn't until about 15 minutes after everyone had got up to go sit on the floor and listen to the teacher that I noticed I was the only person still sitting at the desks. I was about 8 at the time too. Woops!


~~ Random Logic ~~

Books... You Are What You [Read]

So I was looking at the Book List Challenges app on Facebook tonight and I was looking through some of the lists and one thought kept repeating. Seriously? Those book are really favourites or a must reads for that many people?

It's not the first time I have had thoughts like this either. I love to read, but whenever I look at these lists of top 100 books I have to wonder how many people actually have read the books they say they have read and how many just say they have read the books because they are ashamed that they haven't read said book. Or maybe a better question is how many people say they have read a book when they read three chapters and put it down never to even dream of touching the book again?

Last year I did a list in two parts of books I think people should read. I will probably post it here at some stage, but I just had a look at it now and I think I may even revise, the list and expand it to add more books onto it.

But I guess a big part of this post is the fact that I absolutely love to read. If I get free time then a good portion of that free time is spent reading. I am a member of about 6 different libraries across two countries and I don't think I am a snobby reader either as I will read most genres. What I resent though is people who sneer or stare at me in disbelief when I say I haven't some novel that some people say is one of the greatest novels of all time. It annoys me. Do I look at you and sneer when you tell me you haven't read any Star Wars novels or John Marsden? What gives them the right to think they are better than me because of their apparent reading choices.

Another part is that I really wish I could find a list on one of these book list challenges or some such that is full of books that people like me read and not just books that fall onto some top 100 list, because I'm pretty sure that even if I had read all of the books on the BBC top 100 list that I probably wouldn't list even half of them in my favourites and as books that I think others should read.

Does anyone else feel this way? Or am I just some strange anomaly in the realm of book lovers and readers?

~~ Random Logic ~~

The Joys of Reading!

If you know me, then chances are you know that I love to read. It doesn't even really take you knowing me well to know that fact. It isn't something that I even try to hide.

I recently started working here in Finland. I am working as an au pair for a family with three children. The oldest two are girls(ages twelve and eight) and the youngest is a boy(aged four). One of the first things they discovered about me was that I love to read. When I moved in with the family I had with me a bag of library books which I then proceeded to finish reading over the next week at a rate of about one book every two days.

Now the parents love the fact that I read. I am setting a good example for their children with the reading and the fact that I clearly enjoy it. The girls however are not so enthusiastic about it, and I think they don't really understand how someone can love reading so much because they are always asking me why I like reading.

The eight year old doesn't mind reading too much though, and she has even read some of english books to me and she is pretty good at reading them. The oldest however really dislikes reading. To me this is a challenge, and it is a challenge I intend to take on and hopefully she will eventually want to read the books she has to read or at least she will read ones she wants when she wants and read the ones for school without too much complaining.

So far I have started with getting her to read one chapter of a book at a time. I sit there reading my own book next to her and she gets a chance to play with my Nintendo DS when she has read at least a chapter, and this has been working. But I don't think this solves the issue with why she doesn't want to read. So today I went to the library with her and got her to borrow two books- one in Finnish and one in English. I will read at least a chapter of the English book to her each day and hopefully she will enjoy it. And I think we hit on a winner. She got home today and read a chapter of the Finnish book (Hannah Montanta) without complaining. Her mum was extremely happy. Then when she went to bed I read her a chapter of the English book (Sabrina the Teenage Witch). The best thing about ti is she enjoyed it! She wanted me to keep reading but she was almost asleep already so I will read more on another night.

But I am so happy. Already I am making a change in her reading habits. She complains less and hopefully with some better chosen books, then she will choose to read without being told to read her book. Fingers crossed that this reading continues. I know I will continue to read as much as I can and maybe one day she will enjoy reading even half as much as I do.

In the meantime I need to think up more variety of rewards for reading than just playing with my Nintendo DS. Maybe some kind of reading sticker chart or something with a bigger reward once she gets so many stickers.

Anyone got any other thoughts on ideas to encourage reading or ways to encourage reading?

Also I have been slack in updating since I got to Finland(something pointed out by a friend), but I haven't been online so much and have been pretty busy. I do have a half written post about Estonia that I need to finish and put up and will try to make more regular posts now I am getting a bit more settled. Maybe I will do another one this weekend.


~~ Random Logic ~~

Goodreads

So I'm packing my books, and one night I decide I will just randomly browse the Market on my android phone... and I discovered the Goodreads app... I was already a member on there from earlier this year so I decided why not download it.

Then I discovered it has a barcode reader on it. YAY! Now I can just scan my books onto my shelves on the site... unfortunately I'd already packed 4 boxes or so. Now I'm unpacking just to scan and repack. I think I'm a sucker for punishment.

So here's to the next few weeks of scanning and packing the hundreds of books I own into Goodreads.

~~ Random Logic ~~

Let's Talk About [Books], Baby!

Books! LET'S TALK ABOUT BOOKS!

I've posted before about books... including my long delayed 30 Day Book Challenge posts... I really need to get up to date on those... woops!(it's even worse because I do have some typed up already), but today I am bringing up the topic of books for a different reason.

Today I am packing- my books that is. The hundreds of books with thousands of pages between them are going into storage because I will be moving overseas for a while. As a result all of my books(with the exception of 5- my friends put a limit on how many books I may take with me) will be boxed up and placed in storage in my parents garage. 

It's not so much the packing of the books that makes it difficult. I love my books but I have had to pack them before so that I could move- It is the fact that I will not be accessing these books for a significant period of time, and therein lies the problem.

With previous moves, I have just packed the books into boxes, got on with it, moved and unpacked. As such the only order in packing my books came as a matter of:

- what size books fit effectively in this size box?

   and

- How can I minimise the space required for storage.

This time my problem is how to effectively pack these books in such a manner that if I decide I really want to take a particular book with me and I have packed it away, I can quickly locate it and access it. I am also trying to keep my book series together. I read a lot of series and am fans of particular authors work whether as part of a series or otherwise, as such I have probably 10+ authors where I have 5 or more books by that author. Not to mention the few such as Christine Feehan, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Clive Cussler, John Marsden, Tamora Pierce, and Patricia Cornwell of whose books combined could fill a box alone. This makes it a challenge to pack my books, especially when I have both hardcovers as well as soft covers for a few of these authors.

As such I have come up with a plan. 

- I will label boxes(I never label boxes) with the authors name

- I will put as many series in a box as possible in order to minimise the amoutn of boxes I may find myself raiding in the next 5 weeks.

- I will try to leave certain books until last. If not because I want to take them with me, but because Garth Nix and Matthew Reilly are both going to be at Supanova this June and I haven't got all my Matthew Reilly books signed or any of my Garth Nix books signed.

In the meantime I shall drink my Kossu and try to not get to too depressed over the packing away of books, after all- It's just temporary and it's a sign of change in my life. Bring on Finland!

~~Random Logic~~

30 Day Book Challenge- Day 4

I did say I would have another one up in a couple of days... and here it is!

Day 4: Book That Makes You Cry. 

This is a book that is written by my favourite author, John Marsden. It is the first book in the Ellie Chronicles which is a continuation on the end of the Tomorrow Series. It is set after the events of the Tomorrow Series as the country is piecing itself back together. I chose this book out of several I could have chosen from for this category because the first time I read it, and many times since it has made me cry within the first few pages with deaths occurring that set the tone for the series and greatly affect the mental state of the main character. John Marsden is not an author to pull punches to appease his readers and I think that for this reason he is such a successful and loved author for young adults around the world. I only hope that between his other endeavours that he has in his life that he continues to write and produce these fantastic stories for younger people.

If you haven't read the Tomorrow Series or any other John Marsden books I suggest you do. Fantastic reads no matter your age.

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That is all for today. More again tomorrow... or in a few days. You never know with these things and it is the weekend after all.

~~Random Logic~~

30 Day Book Challenge- Days One and Two

Ok so I just started the 30 Day Book Challenge on Facebook yesterday. I had considered doing one of the other 30 day challenges you can find such as those for music and movies but I decided books were more appropriate to me so went and found the book challenge. While on Facebook I only need to put up an image of the book and the name. I decided I would post on here as I go through the challenge giving reasons behind the choices.

So here are Day 1 and Day 2.

Day 1: Favourite Book

It won't come as a suprise to those who know me well that my favourite book is Tomorrow, When The War Began by John Marsden. The reason I love this book is that it has made me and many other people reconsider the capabilities of teenagers and myself. It treats teenagers as something more than slaves to technology(though for some that is entirely true). John Marsden's writing speaks at the same level as the age group he wrote it for. He doesn't write down to his readers and treat them with the condescension that many people treat today's teenagers with. He lets the reader decide for themselves what they will take from the story. He focuses on the characterisation and doesn't try to encompass an entire epic plot. This is one of my favourite things about it. It lets me imagine what I want with the settings by not confining the story to a specific place or city.This book has been translated into multiple languages and although it is undoubtedly set in Australia(exact location to be decided by the discerning reader) it has become popular in many of those countries. Fans stretch from Australia, Japan, Sweden, USA, South America right around the globe. I definitely recommend this book to anyone and everyone whether they be adults or teens.

Day 2: Least Favourite Book

 

My least favourite book by far(and I do have a few books I dislike) would have to be Emma by Jane Austen. I had to read this for year 12 English and before I started reading it I was actually looking forward to it. That didn't last. To me this book dragged quite a bit. Before I even finished the first page I fell asleep. That has never happened before or since for anything other than maybe a text book and even then I can't actually think of any occasion when I fell asleep on a text book. To sum it up simply this book to me was a book written for whom the modern day equivalent would be blonde bimbo's. I am neither blonde nor a bimbo. I told my teacher as much; she wasn't very impressed. Also the fact that we had to compare this novel to the film Clueless didn't work in its favour. I had to force myself to sit and watch that and still only made it half an hour in at most. I think I eventually forced myself to Chapter 12 of this and watched the film instead but I don't remember even from that what happens. I don't know what happened to my copy as soon as the HSC was over. I think I gave it away. I don't recommend this book to anyone.

Obsession Confession...

Today is the day,

I confess an obsession

My books are my love.

~~~

If there is one thing I cannot survive without it is books. Well that and chocolate. But even chocolate comes secondary to my books.

I don't know when the obsession started but as far back as I remember I have been reading. By the time I got to primary school I was reading Baby Sitters Little Sister books by myself. Before that I was reading Golden Books and any other books that caught my interest of the multitude we had at home. Yet despite this I have no memory of my parents reading books to me. So I am not sure if it was a case of when I was very young they did read to me and I don't remember it or if I just had a irrepressible curiosity about what was in the books at home and so taught myself to read. If that is the case then curiosity sure as hell didn't kill this cat! In fact this cat thrived on the thrills of the story.

I often got in trouble at school for reading in class. Maths and Science classes in particular. It was not uncommon for me to have a book on my lap under the desk and for me to be reading it. I had one English teacher who despite the fact that I only ever wrote on about 3 pages of my english book and rarely if ever paid attention was quite happy for me to essentially read my way through the classes. She even encouraged me to keep a list of the books I read which, though incomplete, and definitely not including all the books I had read as I may have forgotten some names, covered over 300 books.

The school librarians knew me by name. They would ask me for book recommendations if they were wanting to read something or would pay attention if I told them about a new book that I had read. I often was the first person to read some of the new books the library got because they wanted to know what I thought. I also got asked to recommend books for other students to read sometimes if a student was looking for something to read.

My friends congratulate me when I walk past a bookstore without going into it. The congratulations are even bigger when I do walk in but come out with nothing. Thats not to say they don't love books... they just aren't as obsessed like me. That's not to say I have no self control. I do really. I have been eyeing off a copy of Jane Eyre in Borders bookstore for the past year and a half trying to justify buying it when I already have 3 other copies. It's just so pretty though nice and clothbound hardcover.

I spent a year in Europe a few years ago now. The first thing I did was suss out and join the local library. I then located the bookstores in the nearby city. Followed soon after by the library in the city. I took advantage of the libraries as often as possible. I knew that if I went crazy buying books I would have no way to get them home really. I considered it restrained that I only bought about 25-30 books that year...

When I got back to Australia after that year I got a job and just happened to be working up the road from a discount book store. That was perilous too. I spent many a lunch hour in there browsing the books. I dread to think how many books I actually bought during lunch hours there. And even now that bookstore is still perilous for me. I recently impulse bought about 15 books there in a single weekend.

And my parents have (almost) always supported this obsession. Most birthdays and christmas' have included at least one book... often more. My dad will call me if he sees a book he thinks I will be interested in and asks me if I want it.

My parents rarely begrudged me a book if I really, really wanted it. Nor any of my siblings. They encouraged us to read as much as they encouraged the use of the local and school libraries. Hence we often struggled to find somewhere to put the books at home. It wasn't long before I was resorting to boxes for my books. And even then I didn't have enough of those. Stacks of books built up on available surfaces including the floor.

When I moved out of home a few years ago I had probably more books than clothes. And I only took the books that weren't on the bookshelves or that I absolutely wouldn't leave behind. I now have 2 bookshelves in my room and not enough room for all my books. 

As it is the obsession thrives. It's an addiction I am not ashamed of. It's an educational addiction. It's an entertaining addiction. It is a lasting addiction.

~~Random Logic~~