How do you choose?

I recently (well, in April) took part in World Book Night. The idea behind it is brilliant; try get people reading again. Thats basically it. Get people reading who don't normally read, or get avid readers to try something different.

I got picked to hand out 24 copies of Audrey Nifeneggers 'The Time Traveller's Wife' , which is a fantastic novel, and I surprised myself in having managed to give them all away within a couple of days.

Anyway, I received an email this week from the WBN people (thats what us cool kids call it) asking me to choose my top ten favourite books and send them the list. This is how they choose their books each year. Book fanatics such as myself send them our top tens, they then make a top 100 of the most titles that appear most often, and then whittle it down to 25. Tough job.

But it got me thinking, how do you choose ten? Just ten? Is it even possible? The first book that came to mind immediately was Andrew Davidson's The Gargoyle. I read this last November and it took my breath away. I want to buy a hundred copies and pass them out to family, friends and even strangers just saying Please Read This! Davidson's first novel (that fact also blew me away! How?) is a compelling, if slightly skew-ways story of a man with no future, and a woman who gives him a past, and in doing so creates a new future for him. I guess thats the best way to describe it. It's gruesome to begin with and there were moments when I was almost closing the book, but I couldn't. The writing was so detailed that the story of a burn victim was painful to take, but the story was so engaging that I couldn't bear to put it down.

But what about books 2 through 10? How do I choose them?

My list so far is:

1 – Andrew Davidson – The Gargoyle

2 – Patrick Rothfuss – The Name Of The Wind

3 – Raymond E Feist – Fairie Tale

4 – Mitch Albom – Tuesdays With Morrie

5 – Jim Dodge – Fup

6 – Neil Gaiman – American Gods

7 – Mitch Albom – For One More Day
8 - Suzanne Collins - The Hunger Games

Two would have to be The Name Of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. Again, a first novel. (And again, How?) Never before have I waited so long for a man as I have done for Kvothe. I read The Name Of The Wind four years ago, and the second book in the trilogy was only released last March. Three years waiting nearly drove me mad. But the second installment was just as fantastic as the first. The story centres around the life and trials of one young Kvothe, a student of a university with a difference. It's hard to describe, but trust me, if you like your fantasy novels, try Rothfuss on for size.

Three: Hmm, very probably it would have to still be in the fantasy veign and be Fairie Tale by Raymond E. Feist. I read this book first when I was about 15, and it scared the bejayses out of me! And it still does. I've read it several times and it is always a brilliant read. A family move from the city into an old house in the middle of nowhere next to a forest. But what they don't realise is that the forest isn't any usual place, and the fairie folk don't take kindly to their new neighbours.

Four: I found this book through a movie, the way I do a lot of books. Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom is a true story surrounding a man who finds his old college professor years later. Morrie Schwartz was an incredible man with a lot of insight and he shared a lot of these thoughts with Mitch. It's a book that is bound to make you emotional, and to make you think about those people in your life that you have lost touch with.


Will write again soon with descriptions of the rest.

Long awaited return

Or is it?

Been a while since I've visited here. I've actually been kinda busy, for a change. Works been keeping me mental, as one of the girls got a grown up job and left, leaving me by myself to do all the monkey work, and they didn't get around to replacing her until a few weeks ago. Then with the other women I work with taking holidays I was covering other shifts left right and center. Not complaining, I need the money, but man I was tired. So Batman and I planned a few weeks together. He came to visit the homestead for the first time, and then I went back to the Uk with him for two weeks. It was so nice to be away from everything for a while. And nice to be together to celebrate our 1 year. Imagine! I got to a year in a relationship - with the same guy the whole time! I'm more surprised that he still wants to be here than anything else. I figured he'd have run a mile by now, but apparently not.

I did start freaking out a bit though. Its been a year for feck sake. I don't do this. And admittedly now I'm worried more about whats ahead than I was before. I have no plans. I thought I had, but nothing has worked so far. The teaching thing fell through, seems no one wanted me. And this current job is fine, but man its driving me crazy. I've been back from the Uk for two days and have avoided contacting them. I figure they'll ring me when they need me to come in. They know I'm back. I know I need to go, I need the money {sensing a pattern?} but I just don't want to do it anymore. I am sick of the small minded gossipy nature of the shop, and the internal politics and bitching. I am actually reconsidering an idea I had when I was 18, to become a mechanic. I hate working with women, so an almost all male environment would be ideal. I can actually deal with the sexist stuff easier than the gossipy crap.

Enough venting, and onto my favourite topic. Books!!

I went to see the movie of Neil Gaiman's Coraline recently, and it was good but, it's got to be said, the book is better. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the movie, and as a kids movie its pretty creepy and very detailed and the art is beautiful, but I enjoyed the book that bit more.

I've moved onto a new author this month. Melissa Marr. As Batman and I were going through Dublin airport, we stopped in a bookshop, as is the norm for us. And a book called Wicked Lovely caught his attention. The tag on the cover said "So compelling it will give Twilight a run for its money." Now I haven't read the Twilight series {yet} but if this book could claim that on the cover, I figured it was worth the €8.99. And man was it. I loved it. Could hardly bare to put it down some nights. Its the story of a girl called Aisling who can see faeries, as could her mother and grandmother, and how one faery in particular seems to have taken a liking to her. Drama unfolds! Its aimed at teenage girls, like the Twilight series, but I gotta admit, I loved it so much I went and purchased part 2 and 3 a mere week and a half after picking up the first one. I started the third one this afternoon! They are a little addictive. But better addicted to books than, well, an awful lot else.

I think I may have a slight obsessive nature. Just an ickle one.

Obsessed

So a little over a year ago I was introduced to the workings of the mind of Neil Gaiman. It started with seeing the movie Stardust - five or six times - and then being given a gift of the book of the same name and thoroughly enjoying it. So then I looked into him some more, and have since read American Gods, Anansi Boys, The Graveyard Book, Coraline and most recently Neverwhere. His books are the kind of things I wish I had the brian power to read. His mind just baffles me. I would hate to be lost inside it for any length of time. The detail in his writing, his style, the way his words just flow across the page. His childrens books {the two I've read} are a bit bizarre and you wouldn't read them to younger children for fear of frightening them, but wow are they amazing.

I read his books and feel at a loss. I have always wanted to write a book, preferably a kids books, but I've never come up with an idea strong enough to put to paper. When I read Gaiman's work I feel less than adequate when it comes to my writing. Why would anyone consider reading my material when there are novels such as his in the world already?