Foody Tuesday

Whether it’s good or bad, food and drink will appear somewhere in a book. In previous book groups food has made up a big part of our tweets. We have loved telling you about what we’re drinking or chocolates we’re not sharing whilst twittering about books and this month it’s not going to get any better.

Mmmmm cake……… sorry mind wandered.

Despite my love of food and drink, I think the last book I read that was obviously themed around food was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I have a copy of Meet me at the Cupcake Cafe floating around in my car, however it’s only because of my passengers I know it’s supposed to be very good.

So people of the world (or NPT at least) I’m after some recommendations for a bit of fiction with a strong theme of food and drink and as a reward I shall sporadically tweet some gorgeous foody pictures during our reading group session.

You won’t have to wait too long, our next chat is Tuesday 2nd June at 8pm on Twitter.

Please use #NPTfood to help us see who’s taking part.

Happy Reading

@sharonbookworm

 

Spring has Sprung

The arrival of Spring means no more hibernating and using a bigger handbag to carry more books as I look for lovely places to stop and read. Whether it’s at the end of the day, lunch time or just for few minutes as I bounce from place to place, reading never fails to put a spring in my step.

Who doesn’t love a book that makes you feel good? Currently filling my newly acquired handbag are three books that fit the feel good category perfectly.

Starting from the left ‘The Help’ is a new book for me. Watched the movie, very impressed and became inspired to pick up a book that I’ve passed over on previous occasions.

To be honest I’m not the biggest Kinsella fan, in general I find her a bit boring. However, ‘Can you keep a secret?’ is a book I’ve read many times. A great read for the garden, train, desk, bath, during lunch, the beach…….. you get the idea.

‘Al Capone Does my Shirts’ is a rediscovered gem. I picked it up because I like an interesting title. On reading the first chapter I realised I’d read it before and remembered how brilliant a book this was. My step acquired a spring! I’m currently enjoying this book for the second and can’t wait till lunch time to cram in a few more chapters!!

So people of the internet, what do you read to lift your spirit and relax on these lighter evenings? Do you pick up an old favourite because it goes well with your glass of wine? Do you like to try something new with your cold beer? Is there a book in your life that you enjoy so much, you don’t care where you mobile phone is? (Gasp!)

Tell us about it on April 28th at 8pm. Use #NPTspring to join the conversation.

Happy Reading

Sharon

@sharonbookworm

@sharonofthebont

Put a spring in your step

Welcome back to the NPT Libraries twitter reading group! Yey! Oh, how I have missed you…

To kick things back off, we have chosen a theme to make us happy… Spring in your step.

We want to talk about the things you read that make you happy, the books/magazines/websites that give you a bit of lift.

For me, purely sitting down with a book (print or ebook) makes me happy. Reading has always been one of my most important pastimes, the thing that keeps me sane on some days. I can’t call reading a hobby, I feel that would devalue it – hobbies can come and go, reading for pleasure is as natural as breathing – well, for me at least (other opinions are welcomed).

So, what type of things do I read that put a spring in my step?

Old favourites

I am not jumping on any bandwagon here…

The Poldark series by Winston Graham has been a long-lived passion of mine. I first read Ross Poldark when I was about 12 and read the rest of the series in very quick succession. I was obsessed with the original 70s series (I should stress that I am in my 30s, my mother had taped all the original series when they were repeated, when we had our first video recorder), I would watch it over and over again. I loved the fact that the books filled in gaps for me and continued where the series had stopped.

I return time and time again to the books, they make me happy. The new series on BBC also puts a spring my step at the moment (I wonder why?)…♥

 New discoveries

I love finding new things to read, especially new authors. I am a fan of YA fiction, so I have loved discovering these lovely new books by authors I haven’t read before.

Our twitter reading group will take place on Tuesday 28th April at 8 p.m. Join us if you can – we will be using #NPTSpring to bring our tweets together.

Bon Jovi, Braces & Books

My teenage years; Bon Jovi, Braces, Books.
The braces may have gone but the love of Bon Jovi and books remains. What was I reading?

I don’t remember there being a lot of options for the inbetweeny readers, although they were out there, they seemed to bypass me. Now people are more aware of books aimed at the young adult (YA). This is partly due to the number of us who are *cough* slightly older *cough* reading them and partly due to the explosion of films they have inspired Hollywood to make. But not everyone approves. People regularly comment on how I’m not challenging myself by reading teenage books where storylines focus solely on getting a boyfriend.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!
Whilst ‘in my day’ there were many subjects still considered taboo, today it’s fair game and young adult fiction covers everything a teen could ever be curious about. It’s no longer an area authors would try out in between writing ‘proper’ books. It’s a rapidly expanding category where authors can take more risks in their writing and why not? If you want to try something new, it needs to be read by a group of people who are still discovering what they like. In my opinion, not all these experiments work. Books that are made up of e-mails, to coin a welsh phrase, do my head in. I want narrative, e-mails remind me too much of work, I read to escape.

So what YA fiction am I reading? I thought I’d stay away from the usual dystopian/apocalyptic reads I usually go for and try a book everyone from 13-73 has been raving about: ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ by John Green. This book is targeted at the YA audience, covers subjects that need to be addressed in a way that draws the reader in not blows up in the authors face and I have no idea if this book will have a happy or sad ending. But this is what excites me most, the fact I can’t predict who the bad guy is or know that in the end the characters will fall in love and live happily ever after. If you’ve not heard of it (do you live under a rock?), click the book for a review, without spoilers, that may inspire you to pick it up.

What do you think of Young Adult fiction? Never picked it up? Read it all the time? What attracts you to it? What makes you avoid it?

Join us on Twitter on February 25^th to talk about all things book related – 8pm  #NPTYA

Happy Reading

Sharon

Thrilling Reads

For this month’s theme, I thought I’d survey people I knew about what books ‘thrilled’ them. I shouldn’t have been surprised to find everyone replying with thriller titles by J.D Robb, Mark Billingham and Patricia Cornwell. You hear the word ‘thrill’ and we automatically jump to thoughts of books that make you double check the doors are locked before you go to bed and look over your shoulder to make sure you’re not being followed around the supermarket.

At this time of year there is an overwhelming number of books to choose from and ‘Sharon’s Wish list’ (containing a few thrillers) has begun to do the rounds of family and friends who know unless they buy me a book for Christmas I will forget what they actually bought me by boxing day.

Whilst reading this list, one friend did surprise me by telling me all about a book that thrilled her yet in no way came under the thriller genre. She was excited, thrilled and on the edge of her seat with anticipation to read the new Cecelia Ahern novel ‘How to Fall in Love’. Now, if you’re not a regular reader of Ms Ahern, she specialises in stories that require a stretch of the imagination and a willingness to believe the human race can carry out random acts of kindness – no cynics here please! That right there is the reason my friend loves her books so much. She loves the adventures the characters go on and will stay up until 4am just to find out how they reach their destination.

Me, I’m currently addicted to the thrill of finding an orange bubble next to a book I’ve downloaded from Wattpad. My colleagues and even some of friends will groan when they read this as I bang on about it a lot, but it is a great place to read other people work in its rawest form and chip in if you feel the need. This site holds a menagerie of writing styles and genres and to be honest sometimes you have to start reading some not so great stories before you stumble across an absolute gem. But over time I have built up a lengthy list of books on a reading list, labelled ‘Amazing’.
Here are 3 of my favourite Wattpad authors who have absolutely thrilled me over the last year:

Night shift by Bethany Myers

At Willard’s department store, none of the night security guards survive for long, and Daniel Gale is about to discover why.

Short on the blurb, but this book is really good. It’s different from the multitude of zombie/dystopia teenage fiction available at the moment, which was one of the big draws for me. The mystery is well played and the characters are just awesome. To top it all off she’s planning a sequel! Yeah! I don’t want to say too much as I will give the game away, so just go read it!

Artificial Attraction by CoraVirgo

“Make him fall in love with you, it’s easy and it’s all for the job. Just imagine the results, you’d be instantly promoted; your own office for you to write anything you want. Nathan Kuszer’s not only one fourth of the infamous band, Central Perks, he’s also lonely and single, vulnerable and weak, make him fall in love with you, that’s all, write about it, publish it and watch your life flourish like his.” What would you do for the job of your dreams?

The third of four books based around the band Central Perks, this book kept me on the edge of my seat till the very end. I don’t think I have ever gasped so much at the end of a chapter and got so frustrated at having to wait for the next instalment! (The down side to reading a book whilst it’s still being written) This writer has me hooked and I’m currently fan-girling over a band that doesn’t exist!

Eva Wilde Vs the Zombie Apocalypse by JenMarieWilde

“…another one just walked in,” Wyatt said as he switched off the television and stood close behind me. Any other day I would have shivered in his close presence, but right now we stood on the edge of the end of the world, and we had to survive.’ Eva Wilde was just another 22 year old girl, working in a 1950’s themed diner, hanging out with her friends, and falling in love. But that all changed overnight when a virus spread throughout Australia, transforming it into a wasteland of deadly disease and flesh-eating zombies. Now, Eva and her friends must do whatever they can to survive.

As anyone who has read my previous posts will know, I come across as a zombie junkie. This book does nothing to help argue the case that I’m not. I love it, book 2 is just as good and the thought of the third one on its way makes me dizzy.

So my lovely readers, what books have been ‘thrilling’ you?

Come twitter with us on Tuesday 26^th November, at 8pm.

This month’s hashtag  #NPTThrill

Happy Reading

Sharon

@sharonbookworm

@sharonofthebont

Autumn blues

For those of you who know me, you will be aware that I am not happy unless I have got at least 3 books on the go. These could be from any author, any genre, any format (ebook or physical), I don’t really care. This month, however, I have been finding it difficult to find the energy to read anything at all. That is to say, I have still been reading (I am not that apathetic yet) but I am missing the excitement that comes from knowing that I am reading a really good book.

I don’t know why I am in this mood, perhaps there is nothing out at the moment that catches my imagination or perhaps I have S.A.D. Who knows? What I do know, however, is that something needs to snap me out this mood and out of it fast. What will it take?

I suspect it will take a really good book, so at this month’s twitter reading group, I want some suggestions from you all, of books for me to read (within reason!). As we are going back to basics this month and talking about what we have read, what we want to read etc., this should be an easy task.

Twitter reading group – Tuesday 29^th October, 8 p.m. We are using #NPTbtb to bring our tweets together.

Bethan

October 2013 – Back to basics…

After a break for a month, our twitter reading group is back and we are going back to basics. This month, we are going to welcome you all by just asking you – what are you reading and why? Don’t be shy – we don’t care what you read, as long as you are reading something.

Tell us what you love reading, tell us what you hate reading, tell us what have has surprised you, tell us what has disappointed you.

Here are some examples:

I loved reading The Color Purple by Alice Walker again. I first read this book as a teenager, after watching the wonderful film adaptation. I am a firm believer that books mean different things to people at different times of their life and I certainly believe that this is the case with this book. I don’t remember being so moved, shocked, or in the end, uplifted at 18, as I am now (I am not divulging my current age).

I have hated reading the news over the last few weeks. I am finding reading the news through which every medium – newspaper, online, through my smartphone – increasingly depressing and some cases, annoying. I would love to abstain for a couple of weeks and go about completely unaware of all the tragedies of life that are reported daily. I know, however, that my ongoing quest (some might say obsession) for information will not allow this – pass me my BBC News app quick, what have I missed?

I was really surprised by Fluffy by Simone Lia, a gorgeous graphic novel. I am not really a graphic novel fan. I am not knocking them, in fact, I quite like the idea (in my inner geeky way) but my brain doesn’t seem to want to understand how the story flows. I, however, loved Fluffy, a book that tells the story of a little rabbit who thinks he is a little boy, of his relationship with his daddy (a human called Michael) and life’s little anxieties. Brilliant – that is all.

Like many women out there, I was disappointed to hear that Helen Fielding had killed off Mark Darcy in the latest Bridget Jones incarnation, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy. Mark Darcy was one of the few characters in a book that I secretly swooned for and I suspect that I will miss him. I haven’t read the book yet, so I will reserve my judgement until the final page. Maybe.

So, anything goes… let’s all get together on Twitter on Tuesday 29^th October at 8 p.m. We will be using #NPTbtb to bring our tweets together.

See you there,

Bethan

Adventures from my Garden

Over the last week I have overloaded my brain with many books from my summer reading pile. Now, not only am I back on track with my good reads reading target, but I have also covered many of our past reading group themes. In a week I have chartered the waters of #NPTPast, #NPTLol, #NPTLove, #NPTNewU, #NPTCosy and #NPTGuilty. Phew!

I would love to say it was really hard work (mainly because I’ve been using the excuse ‘I have to read them for reading group’ all week) but realistically it’s been an adventure filled with murder mysteries, corsets and laugh out loud moments, withour leaving my back garden. My holiday reading list is filled with books I put on stand-by for when I ‘need’ a book. The ones that catch your interest but you never get round to reading because you head back to the old faithful. This months twitter chat will be filled twittering about the books we’ve enjoyed during our hollibobs. Do you have a book you always read on holiday? Do you read a book and leave it on a sun lounger for someone else to enjoy? Have you been converted to e-books and e-readers (meaning you can now take clothes on holiday rather than just books, you know who you are!) or do you take a break from reading altogether?

Join us on Twitter on 26th August at 8pm to chat about your months reading.

See you there

Happy Reading 

Sharon 

Forbidden Fruit

Do you seek out the forbidden? Are you secretly thrilled to be reading something disapproved of? Did you know that many of the books now considered world favourites, were banned in many countries? Nope this isn’t another blog post about 50 Shades, but about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Harry Potter, Winnie the Pooh and even Where’s Wally? Yep, books, children’s books no less that were banned and some in parts of the UK.

Most adults can remember being read Winnie the Pooh as a child, however, I never realised it was once banned because the animals spoke! ‘That’s bonkers!’ I hear you cry. To us in an age and country where we have a wide variety and freedom of choice as to what we read it seems so. But, in many parts of the world and the most vocal probably being America this isn’t an unusual reason used for protecting young minds.

Want to hear some more? Here we go…..

Where The Wild Things Are – Maurice Sendak was banned in the 1960’s for promoting the supernatural.

The Lorax – Dr Seuss was banned for what some believed to be an anti-logging message.

Where’s Waldo?  – Martin Handford was banned from many schools when people started to spot sunbathers in the nip.

Before you all rush off to find old copies of Where’s Wally? and begin the search for sunbathers, my absolute favourite reason for banning a children’s book is the following:

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory  – Roald Dahl

Reason: Poor philosophy of life.

I kid you not this was the belief of a Colorado Library.

When you join us on twitter tonight, keep in mind your childhood favourites. Were they considered acceptable by all? Do you love them all the more for being considered a bit risky by some? Are you appalled by the thought that your most loved childhood book was banned at all?

Pop onto twitter tonight at 8pm to tell what you think using #NPTFree

Happy Reading

Sharon

“Books were despised by the Viking Tribes, as they were seen as a horrible civilizing influence and a threat to the barbarian culture.”
― Cressida Cowell, A Hero’s Guide to Deadly Dragons

Reading books – a controversial pastime?

For those of us who love reading, we know that books mean different things to different people. They can be comforting, fun, relaxing or thought-provoking and challenging. A good book can open our minds to new possibilities, but can they ever be dangerous? One very famous Doctor would say yes, for that very reason (see below), but can a book ever be so dangerous that we should stop people reading it?

As a librarian, I would have to say no, but there are many people would disagree with me. The problem is that books can challenge our beliefs and throughout the world, there are many different beliefs held by very many people. What could be perceived as innocent to me could be offensive to others. Some of my favourite books ever have been banned in other countries for this very reason e.g. the Harry Potter series, which has been banned from some schools and libraries in the US for promoting witchcraft and the occult. Leaders of world religion have also protested against some books, for example, the Catholic Church expressed it’s disapproval of Dan Brown’s books, The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons by banning the filming of the movie of Angels and Demons in any of it’s churches.

Books have been banned throughout the world for challenging beliefs, but also for challenging political ideas and policies. George Orwell’s 1984 was banned in some places in the US for being pro-communist, but then, ironically, also banned in the USSR for criticising the Soviet regime. Jung Chang’s Wild Swans remains banned in China, 22 years after it’s first publication, for it’s depiction of life as a woman in China.

One reason for censorship that we can’t forget is content… if 50 Shades of Grey had been published 60 years ago, we would not have reading it so openly. D.H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover was banned in the UK until 1960, for it’s sexually explicit content, which would probably now seem mild when compared to recent erotic publications.

Some people would argue that the banning of books only makes them more desirable to read, so as my last thought – as teenagers, how many of us read Forever by Judy Blume (hands up, please!)? Did we read it because it was good story (it is) or that we knew that it was slightly controversial and possibly deemed a bit naughty?

My challenge (that word again) for you this month… find and read a banned book. I don’t think that you find it too hard a challenge. If you need some inspiration, take a look at some of my choices, half of which I didn’t even realise had been banned in some part of the world.

Twitter reading group will be on Tuesday 30^th July, 8 pm, and we will be using #NPTfree to bring our tweets together.

Bethan