The Bells by Edgar Allen Poe

Poe Fridays is a fun weekly event at We Be Reading.

This week is the poem The Bells, published in 1849

You can read it online here

Published after his death, in this poem the bells in each verse represent the transition form the joyful bells of birth to the bells of death, from bright peeling bells to doleful tolling ones..

Not my favourite poem by Poe!

The next Poe Friday will be on Deecmber the 4th and will be the short story The Purloined Letter

Friday Finds 20/11/09

Join in with your reading finds here

This week I found these books reviewed and have added it to my lists of books to order from the library:

Titan by Stephen Baxter
Lilly on Readingextravaganza is giving this book away and has reviewed it here








The Passport, by Herta Muller
reviewed on Caribousmom site here

Lost Japan by Alex Kerr

Lost Japan (Lonely Planet Travel Literature) by Alex Kerr

Genre: non-fiction - memoir, culture, Japan
Rating: very good ****

From cover:
Originally written in Japanese, this passionate, vividly personal book draws on the author's experience in Japan over thirty years. Alex Kerr takes us on a backstage tour, as he explores the ritualised world of Kabuki, retraces his initiation into Tokyo's boardrooms during the heady Bubble Years, tells how he stumbled on a hidden valley that became his home...and exposes the environmental and cultural destruction that is the other face of contemporary Japan.

A fascinating collection of essays - with sections on rebuilding a traditional thatched roof Japanese house in the Iya valley, art collecting, calligraphy, kabuki drama etc.
A great book to learn more about certain aspects of traditional Japanese culture and it's demise. Beautifully written, by someone who is passionate about Japan and has lived there for many years.

non-fiction 2009 # 90
Challenges: Japanese Reading Challenge 3,

My November Guest by Robert Frost

My November Guest

My Sorrow, when she's here with me,
Thinks these dark days of autumn rain
Are beautiful as days can be;
She loves the bare, the withered tree;
She walks the sodden pasture lane.

Her pleasure will not let me stay.
She talks and I am fain to list:
She's glad the birds are gone away,
She's glad her simple worsted grey
Is silver now with clinging mist.

The desolate, deserted trees,
The faded earth, the heavy sky,
The beauties she so truly sees,
She thinks I have no eye for these,
And vexes me for reason why.

Not yesterday I learned to know
The love of bare November days
Before the coming of the snow,
But it were vain to tell her so,
And they are better for her praise

Robert Frost

2009 Holiday Reading Challenge

challenge - 2009 Holiday Reading Challenge.

dates - November 20 - December 31, 2009
host - Nely at All About {n}

She writes:
You can read anywhere from 1 to 5 books for the challenge and, of course, you are more than welcome to surpass that number.
Books must be holiday related books. That's right, the holiday doesn't really matter, but it would be more "jolly" if your choices were Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc.

I'm aiming for 5 books

2009 Suspense and Thriller Challenge - completed

2009 Suspense and Thriller Challenge

I obviously can't count, because I've just realised by looking at the labels for this challenge, that I completed it last week!

I read:
1Action thriller - Into the Fire by Linda Davies
2Crime thriller - Black Daffodil by Katherine John
3Eco-thriller - Flood by Stephen Baxter
4Erotic/Romance thriller - Izzy and Eve: An Erotic Thriller by Neal Drinnan
5 Historical thriller -Christine Falls by Benjamin Black
6Political thriller -The Secret Speech by Tom Rob Smith
7 cosy thriller - The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie
8Killer thriller - Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo
9Amateur detective - A Catered Halloween (Mystery With Recipes) by Isis Crawford
10Supernatural thriller - Valley of Bones by Michael Gruber
11 Genealogy thriller - The Blood Detective by Dan Waddell
12 Terrorist thriller - Six Seconds (MIRA) by Rick Mofina

Hope this challenge runs next year too !

Relics of the Dead by Ariana Frankin

Relics of the Dead by Ariana Franklin

Genre: fiction - historical, mystery, 12th century
Rating - Very good ****

The third in the Mistress of the Art of Death series.

Adelia, the Mistress of the Art of Death, has been 'asked' by Henry II to find out whether two skeletons unearthed at Glastonbury Abbey are those of the legendary Arthur and Guinevere.
Fighting a Welsh rebellion, Henry wants to be able to prove that Arthur really is dead and not sleeping somewhere, ready to rise up and lead the Welsh against him.
Reluctantly drawn into an investigation for the king again, Adelia travels to Glastonbury to try an prove that the bones are old enough.
Once again, mysteries, opposition and intrigue are her companions!!

A good story, well written, and with a feminist twist which, while it might not suit some historical purists, adds great flavour and delight to the story.

Once again Recommended.

fiction 2009 #106

Spcie of Life Challenge - Completed

Completed the Spice of Life Reading Challenge. today.

The 6 books I read were:
1. Susan's Secrets - a Victorian Kitchen in Wales by Jenny Kenna (recipe book)
2. Flavour: A World of Beautiful Food by Vicky Bhogal (recipe book)
3. Risotto with Nettles: A Memoir with Food by Anna Del Conte (memoir)
4. A Catered Halloween (Mystery With Recipes) by Isis Crawford (fiction)
5. The Thief Taker by Janet Gleeson (fiction)
6. A Thousand Days in Venice by Marlena de Blasi (memoir)

A Thousand Days in Venice by Marlena de Blasi

A Thousand Days in Venice: An Unexpected Romance by Marlena de Blasi

Genre: non-fiction - memoir, food
Rating: very good ****

A Lovely book about food, love and Venice.
Leaving her job in Santa Lucia, America, De Blasi - a woman passionate about food - she goes to live in Venice with Fernando, a Venetian she has only known a few weeks.
Writing with passion about cooking, food, and the cafes and restaurants of Venice, this memoir takes you on magical journey through the food, streets and culture of Venice, with some great recipes along the way.

Non-fiction 2009 # 89
Challenges - Spice of life challenge (6)

50 Things You Can Do Today to Manage the Menopause (Personal Health Guides) by Wendy Green

50 Things You Can Do Today to Manage the Menopause (Personal Health Guides) by Wendy Green

Genre: non-fiction: health
Rating: Very good ****

I loved this book.
Unlike some other books I've read about the menopause and peri-menopause , this one isn't too technical and is full of practical things you can do to make the whole process easier!

With sections on mental health / attitude, hot flushes, HRT / or not, Complementary therapies etc., it is a valuable guide for any woman approaching that time in life.

As someone who is suffering from an early peri-menopause, this book has given me some good ideas about how to get fitter, adapt my diet slightly etc. to enable me to cope with my body's changes.

Recommended.

non-fiction 2009 # 88

It's Tuesday

Where is your reading taking you today - where are you?
For more Where Are You? answers, visit Raidergirl3 at An Adventure in Reading.

I'm in the 12th Century, at Glastonbury with the Mistress of the art of Death - Adelia Aguilar and friends, examining bones at the monastery on behalf of King Henry II.

Grab your current read; let the book fall open to a random page; and share 2 “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
Join in here


'Nobody came.
It was dark inside. All the heat in the world seemed to have concentrated here, like a pustule.'

Relics of the Dead

by Ariana Franklin

p209

GLBT Challenge 2010

Challenge - GLBT Challenge 2010

Dates - January 1 - December 31, 2010
HOst - Amanda from The Zen Leaf

She writes:
The basic idea of this challenge is to read books about GLBT topics and/or by GLBT authors.The challenge runs year-round, and there will be three levels of participation:
Lambda Level: Read 4 books.
Pink Triangle Level: Read 8 books.
Rainbow Level: Read 12 or more books.

I'm going for 4 books.
I didn't manage to complete this challenge this year - so intend to do better in 2010.

Flashback Challenge 2010

Challenge - Flashback Challenge for 2010.
Dates - January 1 - December 31, 2010
Hosts - Aarti and Kristen

This challenge is all about re-reading books.

You can sign up for the following levels:
Bookworm - Up to three books
Scholar - Four to six books
Literati - Over six books

Within these levels, there are mini-challenges!
These are:
1. Re-read a favorite book from your childhood
2. Re-read a book assigned to you in high school
3. Re-read a book you loved as an adult

South Asian Author challenge 2010

Challenge - South Asian Author Challenge.

Dates - January 1, 2010 – December 31, 2010
Host - S. Krishna

She writes:

This challenge is to encourage people to read books by South Asian Authors – South Asia being India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.

The books can be from any time period, contemporary or classic.

There are two requirements for a book to qualify for the South Asian Author Challenge, both of which must be met:
1) The author must be of South Asian descent. It doesn’t matter if they’re third or fourth generation, or are only half South Asian
2) The book must be about South Asia in some way. It doesn’t have to be set in South Asia, as long as it’s about the culture or history in some way. On the other hand, it can be set in South Asia and not be about South Asians.

You can read 3, 5, 7, or 10 books

Rainbow Connection Challenge

Challenge - Rainbow Connection Challenge

Dates - January 1 - June 30, 2010
Host - Sue

There are two levels of participation - more details over at the challenge blog

I'm going for:
Single Rainbow (reading 7 books) by either Author (first or last name) or Title starting with R, O, Y, G, B, I and V (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet) books.

Monday Musings ...

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about your bookshelf…
With the holiday season now upon us, have you left any hint – subtle or otherwise – for books family and friends might buy you for Christmas? Do you like to receive books, or do you prefer certificates so you can choose your own?

I have an Amazon wish list, and a wists here on my book blog. Friends and family with Internet access can look at them and choose books for me.

I love receiving books, but I am fussy and prefer getting book tokens / certificates to buy my own books if they're not choosing a book off my list.

I usually buy nieces and nephews, and my daughter's boyfriend book tokens for Xmas.

Join in Monday Musings here

November # 3

November always seemed to me the Norway of the year.

Emily Dickinson

Hangman Blind by Cassandra Clark

Hangman Blind (Abbess of Meaux Mystery 1) by Cassandra Clark

Genre: fiction - historical, medieval, clerical
Rating - Very Good ****

Synopsis from cover:
November, 1382. The month of the dead. At the Feast of St. Martin in the fifth year of King Richard's reign, a nun rides out for York and the Abbey of Meaux. But this is no ordinary journey. Rival popes, a boy on the English throne and a volatile peace in the savage aftermath of Wat Tyler’s murder. Travelling alone, Hildegaard encounters a gibbet with five bloodied crow-stripped corpses, and later the body of a youth, brutally butchered. Who is he? And what is his connection to the hanged men? Murder will touch Hildegaard and those she loves even more closely as she rides on to her childhood home. Castle Hutton is riven by treachery. Old loyalties are shifting. Hildegard will need all her courage to counter the dark forces in the land.

An interesting novel and a good mystery.
Well researched and written.
I look forward to reading the next one in this series - The Red Velvet Turnshoe

fiction 2009 # 105
Challenges - Fall winter mystery (autumn)

New Author Challenge 2010

Challenge: New Authors Challenge 2010
Host: Jackie
dates: January 1, 2010 through December 31, 2010.


Jackie writes: you can pick to do either 15, 25 or 50 new authors.

I'll aim for 15 & then keep going!!!

Christmas is coming ....

... so remember ....
Give a wonderful gift this Christmas - give a book!!!

Buy Books For the Holidays site has some great ideas for books for different ages

Strong in the rain: selected poems by Kenji Miyazawa

Strong in the Rain: Selected Poems by Kenji Miyazawa

Genre: Poetry - Japan
Rating: Very good ****

Beautiful selection of early 20th century Japanese poetry by Kenji Miyazawa, who is now widely viewed as Japans greatest 20th century poet.

The poems draw on observations of life and the universe, with beautiful descriptions of nature and humanity.

Recommended.

Here are three of my favourite poems from the volume.

Shadows from the Future Zone

This blizzard is dreadful and

Again today a cave-in has come with a vengeance

...why are they playing that frozen whistle
so incessantly...
A person staggers forward pale as a ghost
From the Shadow and the terrifying smoke
It's no less than my own bloodcurdling shadow
Cast off from the future zone of ice.


The Petals of Karma

The wind and the damp nigh intermingle, desolate
Blackened is the forest of willow and pine
Dark petals of karma blanket the sky
And I tremble violently from cold
For having recorded the names of gods.


Clearing

By the time we had eventually cleared
The ticket of wild roses
The sun was blazing
The sky, a sombre pit
Me and Taichi and Chusaku
Sunk as we were into the bamboo grass
Soon dead to the world in a hollow of snores
The river drifted nine tons of needles per second
And a mass of herons flew east.

poetry volume 2009 # 6
challenges: Japanese Reading Challenge 3 (3), VPR Poetry Challenge 2009 (2)

Marple-Poirot-Holmes Challenge

Challenge - Marple-Poirot-Holmes Challenge.
Dates - January 1 - December 31, 2010
Host - Kals of At Pemberley

Further info:
Read a minimum of 6 books in total: two Miss Marple mysteries, two Sherlock Holmes mysteries and two Hercule Poirot mysteries.