I Capture the Castle

Definitely recommended!

It is seldom that I find a book that keeps me coming back because of a compelling narrator. It can be the tone or the plot or the language, but it is unusual to find a really compelling narrator. But however seldom it is, I have now found one. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith is a first-person narrative, and Cassandra, the narrator, is really nice, and I found that while I was reading the book, I just wanted to get back to it to spend time with her. And now I actually miss her. It makes me sad that I won't ever hear new words from her in my head.

The book is written as a series of journals spanning about a year in Cassandra's family's life. They live in a castle, and Cassandra sets out meaning to capture each member of the family and their lives. Events that reveal the characters roll along, and most of the characters go though change, large or small. The story is told subjectively, but the narrator is so awesome that I don't mind being inside her mind at all.

The style is easy, and the images and metaphors are good, and used sparsely. I caught myself wishing that I could be friends with Cassandra - and it almost felt like I was while reading the book. Of all the characters I have ever encountered in books, she is one of my favourites (I could never choose between friends). Her journey is really remarkable, she really grows up during this book, making it a coming of age story. But she manages to go through all of it without loosing herself at all, and I find that impressive.

I Capture the Castle gave me inspiration to write more in my own journal. I write much more now than I did before. Earlier this year, I bought myself a fountain pen, and I LOVE writing with it in my paperblanks journal. My expenses related to writing has gone up, given the increased rate at which I go through journals (what used to take more than a year to fill, now takes only three to four months) and how often I have to change the ink cartridge (about once a week). But I think it's worth it. I am now putting many of my thoughts into writing, and it really helps me to sort through them.

Awesome Lizzie Bennet Diary!

This is becoming quite a long blog post, but I have one more thing I want to say. The Lizzie Bennet Diaries is nearing its conclusion, and they have finally released a diary to go with it! So that will definitely be my next journal - I am hoping for it as a birthday present. I just hope that the pages are thick enough to avoid bleed through from the ink (I guess changing ink colour to cyan would help a little, but I prefer black).


I really hope the next adaptation the LBD team decide to do isn't far away, because I don't know how I will cope without my Lizzie fix.

Proud Norwegian Ravenclaw

My pretty mittens

I knitted some typically Norwegian mittens (Selbuvotter) during my Christmas break, and I decided to do them in Ravenclaw* colours because...well, because I identify with that house (and I was sorted into it on Pottermore), and I love the colour combination from the films (navy and light grey). It was fun knitting from a pattern. The pattern I used can be found here (leave a comment if you want a translation). I am pleased with the result, although for my next house colour project, I will be using a lighter shade of blue (this one is too close to black, I feel). My next project will be a house scarf, like those worn in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (the film). I'll post pictures when I'm finished (which will be in quite a while, I think).

These mittens will allow me to show that I am Norwegian (everyone here wears mittens like these), and subtly hint to my house identity. I really like that double message. It makes them a bit special.

You know how I talked about reading loads of books in my Christmas holidays? Yeah...that didn't happen, as you can probably guess. I decided I wanted to knit more than I wanted to read. I ended up having read 40 books in 2012. This year I have decided to focus more on the pleasure of reading, reading because I want to instead of trying to complete a goal.


All the same, if I continue reading at the pace I have been so far this year, reading 50 books shouldn't be so hard. I've already read seven books since the start of January, although lying in my bed sick for a week might have accounted for that number. The seven books I have read have been extraordinarily good - I am off to a good start on my pleasure reading year. The books I have read so far are, in order:

Isn't this book pretty?

Trains and Lovers by Alexander McCall Smith
I read this on the train returning to school. It is, according to the author, best read on a train journey. I agree. It is a book that makes you examine your heart and it has a feel and pace to it that made me relax and feel good.







Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling
This one is really good, but you knew that, right? I listened to the audio book read by Stephen Fry, and it made me appreciate the book in fresh ways.

Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern by Anne McCaffrey
This is another epic tale from the planet of Pern. It's good, but a little slow at times. I would recommend that you read other Pern books before this one - try Dragonflight for a taste of the world.



Mutant Message Down Under by Marlo Morgan
A message to all of us on how to treat each other and nature. Powerful and wonderful, the story of a woman's journey to learn valuable life lessons.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
This one is good, but I feel that I'm not really the right audience for it. It's really good nonetheless, and of course I had to read it after seeing the film in cinemas three times.

This cover is really nice,
one of my favourites

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
A really cool and kind of scary and creepy book that is packed with suspension and just makes you want to continue reading. A really good story with villains, marshes, an orphanage, magic, and love.

This cover is also
one of my favourites
(so stylish!)

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
A really good book about a mysterious circus that just suddenly appears, and is open only at night. The story is told wonderfully, even though the narrator seems kind of detached from the story. It works well, though, and I am left with amazing, almost living, wonders in my head.







* Ravenclaw is one of the four houses of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry - Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff.  Its house colours are blue and bronze in the books, although in the films this is changed to blue (navy) and silver. The other houses have other house colours. The Harry Potter series is mostly set at Hogwarts.

I like big books and I cannot lie (but short books are convenient for reaching goals)

So I've been trying to complete the 50 books challenge this year, too. The only hitch? I've been in full time education, including a summer course... I am currently at 38 books, but I have a plan. I have short and easy books lined up for the holidays (now that I finally have them). So although I like big books, short books are convenient for reaching goals.

The books I plan on reading this holiday.

Although, I might need to change the wording of that a bit. I like good books, not necessarily big (as in thick) books. As some of you remember, I have been reading Les Misérables for the past year, and I am really stalling now. I have also given up on reading The Casual Vacancy - the stories were quite heavy emotionally. It's not that I don't like those two books, but they are hard to get through.

So the grand plan is to read Of Mice and Men, Romeo & Juliet, The Chronicles of Pern, Let it Snow, and Miss Peregrine's House for Peculiar Children. And then to read the whole Narnia series, because I read one of those books in an evening. That will add up to a total of twelve books, which is just enough to complete the 50 books challenge! Now I just need to find the time to read - maybe I should take that out of my internet time?

I will go and pack now. It will be a challenge, fitting all the books and the presents in, but I'm sure I can manage. After all, I don't need to bring the Narnia books, since we have a copy of those at home. I am looking forward to sitting on the train home, reading, knitting and looking out at the beautiful winter scenery.

Have a lovely holiday, everyone! Merry Christmas!

Cold and dark, with squeaky snow

This is Trondheim these days. There are mountains to the southeast and southwest, so even though the forecast says that the sun came up at 09:45 and went down at 14:36, the actual day is shorter. The sun actually never touches the house I live in, I think. So it is dark as night at about 4, making for looong evenings and disturbed sleep patterns. I try to see the sun every day (when it is a clear day), to be able to feel that it was actually day at one point.

Mentioning weather, it has mostly been clear the last week or so, giving temperatures below -10 degrees Celsius. There are lots of people around in their down jackets and with scarves wound around their head so that only the eyes peek out. Have you ever tried hugging someone who is wearing a down jacket? It's so soft - makes for great hugs. The only sad thing is that my cloak, which is my usual winter outerwear, is being repaired, and it is a bit too cold to use it.

But the skies have not been completely clear, we have had some new snow. It came when it was below -5 degrees Celsius, which gives snow with a wonderful sound. Oh, you thought snow was silent? Not exactly. When it is really cold, the snow sort of squeaks and crunches underfoot. I really like the sound cold snow makes underfoot - I know it is really winter when I hear that sound.

I have found out that I prefer steady seasons - summer and winter. I don't really like the changing seasons, spring and fall, because of all the chilly rain and uncertain weather. Sure, the winter is cold, but it is also beautiful, and you know what you wake up to day after day. Winter is actually the season, from my memory at least, when we have the most stable weather. We can often have really cold periods that last for up to two months (and even more!). That happens when a high pressure field moves down from Siberia and settles over parts of Norway. The sky is clear every day, the sky is starry every night, and the air is crisp and cold.

Still, I prefer sitting inside with a good book and a cup of tea looking out at all this, because the cold air really stings my face, and I often start freezing on my fingers and toes when I am outside for too long. Looking out at the moon shining down and the stars and planets shining down, I look forward to being finished with exams and starting my Christmas holiday.

Oh, and by the way, change is still scary. I moved out of my old big locker and into two small new ones, and  it's really weird. Now I have to go a different place every morning and afternoon - I have sort of changed my home base at school. I had my old locker for one and a half years, and I feel kind of sad leaving it. I think about the weirdest things sometimes. Pull yourself together, Julie! It's only a locker!

I think the exam period is starting to drive me just a tiny bit crazy - I'm starting to talk to myself now... I'll just procrastinate a bit more, to see if I can drive it any further (I am still trying to read 50 books this year, but I have 13 to go...).

Okay, I will stop my ramblings now. Have a great advent, and good luck if you are taking exams or the like!

Culinary delights and late-night crafting

Last Saturday, I finally started reading The Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling. It came in the mail on Wednesday or Thursday last week, much earlier than what I was expecting, which was a wonderful surprise. I decided to finish the Pern book I was reading, and then I dived into The Casual Vacancy. It is realistic and gritty, and the writing style is wonderful. The pictures that are painted in my mind are very realistic and recognisable. It is captivating, but not a book that I would want to rush through - I want to savour the experience, enjoy the writing, and imagine all the scenes fully. It is so captivating, actually, that I forgot to get off the bus at my stop today. That is the first time I've done that since I moved here more than a year ago. I guess that is saying something.

My copy of The Casual Vacancy in its protective cover.

The book is, of course, a hardback. I have removed the dust jacket, as I do for all hardbacks while I am reading them. But I worried that the book was having a rough time in my rucksack and on the floor beside my bed, so I was toying with the idea of somehow getting a protective cover for it while I am reading. Last night, past midnight, actually, I decided to try to make one. So I unearthed some material that was cut off from my curtains, found a needle and some thread, and set to work. I was very out of practice with sewing, but I think it turned out okay. It took me about an hour and a half, and I was quite proud when I finished at about 2 AM. Far too late for a school night but I didn't care - I had made something that worked, served its purpose and didn't look half bad. I went to bed smiling to myself.

Now onto something else. I have recently started making more vegetarian food, and it has been quite successful, actually. I really liked the beetroot with lentils and feta cheese I made on Monday, and the beans and rice I made today was really good (and I have enough left over for three more dinners). I'm sorry I don't have any pictures of the food, but there are some good ones in the videos I was inspired by. The beetroot dish was taken from the topmost video, and the beans and rice was inspired by the second one.

Dragons, Privateering and waiting for packages

I have just finished reading Anne McCaffrey's Dragonsdawn, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. It is about the colonisation of Pern, set around two thousand years before the other Pern books I have read. It was a page-turner and a wonderful read, full of suspense and exciting events. I suddenly understood much more of the names of the places in the books set to later millennia. This book was more of a science fiction book than the Dragonriders trilogy (the ones set in later milennia), with interplanetary travel, colonisation of new worlds and a lot of interesting technology. It appears that the people of Pern lose their sophisticated science and technology in later generations, and revert to something of a medieval system.

The omnibus containing Dragonsdawn by Anne McCaffrey,
Privateering by Mark Knopfler, and autumn trees outside

I thoroughly enjoy both the time periods and, more than anything, Anne McCaffrey's writing. Her style and technique is wonderful and draws you into the story. I have become accustomed with following several characters at once, and I really like the way it gives me a bigger picture of what's going on. Well, in short, the books about Pern by Anne McCaffrey are highly recommended. I recommend starting with the Dragonriders trilogy for an exciting introduction to Pern and the dragonriders, but I guess you could start with Dragonsdawn too, if you want to read the books in chronological order.

Since I last posted, Privateering (the new album from Mark Knopfler) has come in the mail. I was told by Amazon that it would arrive about a week after the release, but I was anxiously waiting for a full two weeks, trying not to spoil myself by listening to it on Spotify. I was very happy when it finally arrived in my post box. I have been listening to it a lot, and some of my favourites are 'Dream of the Drowned Submariner', 'Go, Love', 'Yon Two Crows' and the two pre-releases 'Redbud Tree' and 'Privateering'. I love the album, and the fact that there are two discs and a total of 20 songs makes the whole thing really wonderful.

Talking of waiting for things to arrive in the mail, 'The Casual Vacancy' by J. K. Rowling has finally been published. Once again, Amazon tells me that it will arrive a week after the release, which means I could have it by the coming friday. But if my last experience tells me anything, it is not to trust the estimates amazon gives. So I will have to be patient and try not to expect it before friday in almost two weeks. Which is hard, considering that I have already seen the book in a bookshop. Actually, I saw it in a new and wonderful bookshop here in Trondheim called Bookstars. It is a combined bookshop and coffee bar, and they have decided to drop all the other things, and focus entirely on books. I like their concept very much, and I have already added it to the list of places to visit when I'm in town shopping. A perfect place (a little difficult, though) to practice not buying books.

Autumn has really begun here, with vibrantly coloured trees and a heightened need for tea, blankets and a good book. I am going to enjoy the season sitting in my favourite reading spot with tea and books about dragons and small villages in England. And maybe with some soothing music from Mark Knopfler in the background. All this, of course, in between all the other things I will be busy doing.

Juice, Doctor Who, music, and Daytripper (random blog)

I have too many weird ideas and not enough to say about any of them, so this will be a random blog about whatever I feel like writing.

First: freshly extracted juice. I have recently bought a juicer. I have been juicing apples, carrots, ginger, lemons and kiwis - mostly all of them together (choosing between lemon and kiwi). It is really delicious and easy, and I like it very much. In addition it's healthy, and I get my five a day really easily.

First week of term apparently means getting a cold, so I've had a lot of chilling out to do - which means watching films or Doctor Who. I have now watched all the ordinary episodes of the new series of Doctor Who and all the christmas specials, but not the other specials...the ones between series four and five.  I really like the series, I feel invested in it, and I love the characters. I am now eagerly looking forward to the next series, number 7, which premiers next weekend, I think. I don't think it is coming to Norwegian television...but I'll find a way to see it anyway.

Julia Nunes' wonderful debut album

This summer I have discovered some new music, specifically Julia Nunes' debut album, Hellogoodbye's album 'Would It Kill You?', and Ludovico Einaudi's album 'Islands'. Of course I have also listened to Ed Sheeran (a lot) and Taylor Swift. I am looking forward to two musical releases this autumn - 'Privateering' by Mark Knopfler and 'Red' by Taylor Swift. I love the two songs that have been released from Knopfler's album, 'Redbud Tree' and 'Privateering'. You can listen to them here (on the player on the right), but they are not singles, so you have to wait until the album is released to get them.

I have just finished Daytripper by Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá. It is a wonderful, deep and really beautiful graphic novel. Highly recommended.

My next post will most likely be a humourous piece aimed at biologists. I say this so that you have some warning, and I hope you won't be very confused.

PS: I have changed the adress to my blog - it is now juliemynors.blogspot.com. Just so you know.

Summer haul

The summer holiday is soon over, and any holiday is book buying time (especially when in England, since the books are cheaper there). This time, I think that maybe I bought a bit too many books (the plan was one). But I love buying books! So here they are, the books and DVDs (as well as some old second-hand comic magasines) I have bought this summer.

Wow...that is a lot of stuff (full list below). No more books before Christmas! Except the already preordered ones and schoolbooks, of course... And preferably no more DVDs either, excepting new releases, like the Hunger Games, of course.

And how many of these books have I read? Only three: Dawn of the Bunny Suicides, Fahrenheit 451 (for the nerdfighter book club), and Wonderstruck. I LOVED Wonderstruck, it was fantastic. Just wonderful and beautiful. If you haven't read it yet, read it, and soon (it doesn't take long to read, since half the pages are drawings)!

This summer, I have also been listening to Harry Potter audio books, read by Stephen Fry. He is a very good audio book reader (is that what you call it?), and I am enjoying it. As I have scrolled through the chapters on my iPod, I am starting to appreciate J.K. Rowling's skill in naming chapters. Usually, when I read, I don't really read the chapter title (sorry, writers). So being aware of the chapter title is a new experience. I am also, as I listen to the audio book, picking up little rhymes and alliteration that I don't catch when I'm reading. This adds even more fun to the reading experience for me.

I hope to be blogging more often this autumn (than this summer - it won't take much), but I can't guarantee anything, since I am not going to force myself to write (unless you readers (if you are out there) demand it).

I love lists, so here is a list of all the stuff in the picture:

Book on top:

    Dawn of the Bunny Suicides - Andy Riley

Standing, from left to right:

  DVDs:

    Night at the Museum

    Slumdog Millionaire

    Pixar Short Film Collection volume 1

    Wall-e

    Tangled

    Stardust

    Love actually

    Emma

    Hugo

    Footloose

    Finding Nemo

  Books:

    Miles, Mutants and Microbes - Lois McMaster Bujold

    Masterharper of Pern - Anne McCaffrey

    Acorna - Anne McCaffrey and Margaret Ball

    Acorna's Quest - Anne McCaffrey and Margaret Ball

    Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury

    Let it Snow - John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle

    I Capture the Castle - Dodie Smith

    The Eyre Affair - Jasper Fforde

    The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern

    The Second Book of General Ignorance - John Lloyd and John Mitchinson

    Doctor Who: Dead of Winter - James Goss

    Ohrid - Tor Obrestad (poems)

    Wonderstruck - Brian Selznick

    On Dragonwings - Anne McCaffrey

    Daytripper - Fábio Moon

Lying on the floor:

    One Calvin and Hobbes magasine, and nine old Donald Duck magasines, all in Norwegian. I don't know if there even exists Donald Duck comic magasines outside Scandinavia...you are definitely missing out.

Summer reading

And I'm back! After a long break from both reading novels and writing blogposts, also known as exam time, I have come back to talk about what I'm going to read this summer. This summer will be different than usual, field courses and trips to go on, and an exam at the end of the "holiday". Nonetheless, I will be getting back to reading books, catching up with the 50 books challenge (according to goodreads, I'm one book behind), and finishing Les Misérables.

That is actually a major goal with my reading this summer - finishing Les Misérables. I have been reading it since Christmas, and as you can see from the picture, I am almost halfway (the green bookmark marks the page). I actually like it quite a lot, but reading it requires a good portion of concentration and time. I mean, I'm almost halfway, but I still have over eight hundred pages to go! And I will finish it!

In addition I will finish The Wind in the Willows, which I started during the exam period, but didn't finish. It's a pleasant children's book, perfect for getting back into reading. Next on my list is to read Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. This is for a youtube book club that sablecaught is arranging, and I am looking forward to reading and talking about a book with others. Next up after that, is Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, which lots of people have recommended. The cover and design of the book are lovely, and I can't wait to know what's inside that beautiful cover.

During the summer, I will also read three Pern books by Anne McCaffrey. I discovered that my local library actually have many Pern books, so I borrowed three of them for summer reading. I love the world of Pern, and I can't wait to visit it again.

And then I have the "just in case"-books. If I finish the previous books, I will read one of the ones in the picture.  Name of the Wind and the two last books of His Dark Materials have been sitting on my shelf for far too long, so they will be priorities. Everyone I talk to who have read Name of the Wind have loved it, and they all assure me that it is a gem, and something to look forward to. I just hope it lives up to the hype. I haven't read The Help yet, or seen the movie (I pledged, remember?). So that will be done soon, if not during the summer. I have also heard good things about Between Shades of Gray, so I'm looking forward to reading that one too.

This is shaping up to be a summer full of the reading of good books and learning to name nature. I'm almost becoming a child again, running around in the woods or along the beach being amazed by nature, shouting out when I find something cool. Many organisms have earned this label lately, spiders among others. I am a bit overwhelmed by the sheer number of animals and plants we have to know, but i think it's fun. It's almost like going treasure hunting, and who doesn't love that?

Hugo

Yesterday, I read The Invention of Hugo Cabret, and today, I went and watched Hugo in the cinema. Both experiences were wonderfully captivating and magical, and I wanted to share this magic with you.

The story is of an orphan boy who tends the clocks in a railway station in Paris in the 1930s. He loves mechanical things, and by the end of either the book or the film, you probably will too.

Clocks!

The book, The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick, is a story told in both pictures and text. It really captures the imagination, and doesn't take a long time to read, despite being over 500 pages long. The pictures, or illustrations, or drawings - whatever you call them - are wonderfully made, sometimes with exquisite detail, and sometimes with lots of tension. But no matter what emotion or feeling they convey, they do so beautifully, full of life. The combination of pictures and text is magical. The two ways the story is told complement each other, and work together to create a wonderful atmosphere of childlike wonder. The emotions are so well conveyed in the pictures, I felt as if I was Hugo Cabret, experiencing all this for the first time.

The film, Hugo, captures the mood and feeling of the book very well. Of course, things are added and things are taken away, but aren't they always in the process of making a good film from a book? In my opinion, the core of the book was captured very well. The atmosphere is just right, the magic comes to life, and I am left with the same childlike wonder. The score is beautiful, and it all just comes together.

I would highly recommend both the book and the film, for children of any age, be it nine or ninety (maybe not under nine, though). It is a wonderful journey into a magical land of clocks, robots, and early film. I think you should embark on this journey, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries

Like many other people, I like Pride and Prejudice. It's a wonderful story, the characters are lovely, the comedy is just right, and it's just really a good book. It has also been made into several different films (some better than others), and a BBC mini series (twice? I'm not sure). The story has been enjoyed through all these media by lots of people, and it has been hugely successful.

Yesterday, I discovered that this story is being told once again, but this time in a more modern format, namely the video blog. Basically, for those of you who don't know, a video blog is when someone sits and talks to their camera about their life or anything that interests them, and then uploads it to the internet. Kind of like a blog, but in video form - as the name implies.

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries is a fresh take on Pride and Prejudice, set to the modern day. Some changes have been made to accomodate this (I mean, five children is NOT normal anymore), but I don't think this will matter much. The acting is really good, and I find myself believing the illusion really easily. The first two episodes have been posted so far, so if you join now, you'll get to see the story unfold, with new instalments every week, I think. I must say, I'm already a fan. You can watch the first video below, or check out the whole thing on youtube.

Harry, A History

Harry, A History: The True Story of a Boy Wizard, His Fans, and Life Inside the Harry Potter Phenomenon by Melissa Anelli

This book let me delve into the Harry Potter fandom like I have never been able to. I was a latecomer to the books (Harry Potter, that is) and I read the books in the autumn of 2007 - when all of them were already published. I was never able to go to a midnight release party or immerse myself in plot discussions and speculation. This book took me on a guided tour of the fandom and behind the scenes of a phenomenon whose products I now see.

This book was wonderfully personal, but at the same time covered all the important things that one would expect of a book about the Harry Potter phenomenon. Everything from fanfiction and shipping wars to wizard rock is covered. The author, a well known fan and webmistress of The Leaky Cauldron, takes you along on her personal experience with the books and the fandom, letting you get inside the head of a fan and explaining everything on the way.

It ends after Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was published, but with the promise of continuation of the phenomenon. The fandom is, of course, still going strong, living and growing. The strong friendships formed between people who have met through Harry Potter continue on, and wizard rock bands are still rocking out. The message of love from the books continue shaping people's lives, and charity work in the name of Harry Potter (The Harry Potter Alliance), and last but not least the fostering of young people who love to read, as well as many other wonderful things, are still happening.

The end, about reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, took me right back to my experience of finishing the series for the first time. All the anxiety and sense of closure was there for me too, although I hadn't been waiting for nearly as long before I got to know everything.

This review has become a mixture of my personal experience with the Potter books and phenomenon, and about this book. It made me think of my own fandom experiences, and structuring my own experience. In the beginning of the book I felt a bit alienated, but I soon became immersed in the story of the fandom growing and expanding. It is wonderfully written, and takes you on a whirlwind tour of the phenomenon we know as Harry Potter with a wonderful guide. I would almost go so far as to say that this should be required reading for any Harry Potter fan.

PS: Now that I'm writing and thinking about it: A HUGE THANK YOU to Fatima, who pressured me to finally read the Potter books. Thank you so, so much!

Book survey!

Kayley took this survey from her friend, then Bryarly took it from Kayley, and now I have taken it from her. How could I pass up this great opportunity to talk about books?

The books I have checked out of the library
at the moment and the books I am reading.

1. Favorite childhood book?
Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver by Michael Ende, the Swallows and Amazons series by Arthur Ransome and the Elizabeth Gail series by Hilda Stahl.

2. What are you reading right now?
Les Misérables by Victor Hugo and Poems from the Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

3. What books do you have on request at the library?
None, I collected the last one I had on request yesterday. It was Harry, A History by Melissa Anelli.

4. Bad book habit?
I can't get rid of books, they're like my friends...I don't know if this is good or bad. Also, I buy books I could have borrowed from the library, making for stuffed shelves more often. In addition (these keep cropping up) I have a habit of jumping forward in my books, only to go back and read it all again. Sometimes I end up having read a book one and a half time by the time I'm finished...

5. What do you currently have checked out at the library?

Poems from the Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, Harry, A History by Melissa Anelli, The Complete Poems by Walt Whitman, and Favourite Verse edited by Christopher Hurford. I am trying to find my favourite poet, because I don't know where to start or which book(s) to buy. I would like there to be more poetry on my shelves.

6. Do you have an e-reader?
No, and I don't want one.

7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?
I prefer to read one at a time, but if the book is long, I'll usually split it up and read books in between parts or volumes. I can cope fine with several at once, but I don't prefer it.

8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?
Yes, but the decision to start a blog was coupled with the decision to read more. More specifically, to read 50 books in a year, which I managed!

9. Least favorite book you read this year (so far?)

Preludes and Nocturnes (Sandman 1) by Neil Gaiman.

10. Favorite book you’ve read this year?
I can't decide between Three Shadows by Cyril Pedrosa, The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, and Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey. One of those, they are all excellent and amazing books.

11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone?
I am still kind of finding my comfort zone, but I have sort of settled, so I read outside my comfort zone maybe once a month or every two months.

12. What is your reading comfort zone?
Fantasy, children's books and dystopians are what I read the most, I think. As I said, I am still kind of searching for my comfort zone. So for now, it is quite broad.

13. Can you read on the bus?
Yes. I don't get car sick (in a bus, anyway). I actually do a lot of my pleasure reading on the bus to and from University.

14. Favorite place to read?
In bed, when I have made my "reading corner" with pillows, duvet and blankets piled up in one corner.

15. What is your policy on book lending?
I lend books to anyone who asks (usually friends), but I ask them to take good care of my books. For example I don't like broken spines and dog-eared books.

16. Do you ever dog-ear books?
No. Well, some times in books I don't care about. But usually not in my books for pleasure reading.

17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books?
No.

18. Not even with text books?
Okay, yes, I do. But they don't count!

19. What is your favorite language to read in?
English, I think. I prefer to read books in the language they were published, if I can read it. If I can't read the original, it's kind of random whether I choose the Norwegian or English version.

20. What makes you love a book?

Memorable characters and saying something profound about life or humanity. Sometimes just the deliciousness of the book - how much I loved reading it. Puns and humour also helps - a lot.

21. What will inspire you to recommend a book?
If I liked or loved it, and think other people will like it. I will selectively recommend according to what I know people like to read. Sometimes, I just want the whole world to have the amazing experience I had when reading that book.

22. Favorite genre?
Fantasy, I think.

23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did?)

Biographies, I think. I tend to go for the books that enable me to escape from the real world, but the real world can be interesting, too.

24. Favorite biography?
The one about Helen Keller - for children. I haven't read many biographies since I read those biographies for children.

25. Have you ever read a self-help book?
I don't think so.

26. Favorite cookbook?
My homemade one. I don't own many cookbooks. (I think I own one that is not homemade.)

27. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)?
Inspirational...inspiring what? Thought? Awe? Action? Maybe The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Yes, I think so.

28. Favorite reading snack?
Doritos, chocolate (Melkedrøm bringebær - a chocolate we have in Norway), or licorice with salmiak, another Norwegian snack (I know it sounds weird, but I love it).

29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience.
Reading John Green's first four novels - Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, Paper Towns, and Will Grayson, Will Grayson. The hype made me expect great things, but I realised that I couldn't relate very well to his characters.

30. How often do you agree with critics about a book?
I usually don't read reviews done by professionals. I guess I often agree when I do.

31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?
I often try to not be too explicit about it, or I just don't review the books I don't like.

32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you choose?
Spanish, maybe. Or French. Those languages are so beautiful!

33. Most intimidating book you’ve ever read?
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.

34. Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin?
Wuthering Heights, I think. But mostly because of what I've heard about the mood of that book.

35. Favorite Poet?
As I said, I am trying to find out. I really liked some of the poems in The Fault in Our Stars, and I want to find a poet I really like so that I can buy a collection of poems or something like that to have more poetry on my shelves.

36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?
I don't often go to the library, I have a tendency to buy all the books I want to read (bad, bad habit). But this year I have decided to read some classics, and I have discovered that my local library has more of the books I like to read than I thought, so I am becoming better at going there and borrowing books. I usually borrow about 3 to 5 books at once - as many as I can comfortably carry or as many as I think I can read in one month.

37. How often have you returned book to the library unread?
I do it sometimes - especially if I know I want to read the book later or I am going to buy the book. I prefer reading the copy I own.

38. Favorite fictional character?
Jane from Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde, Elisabeth from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Hermione from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, and Hadassah from the Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers. Favourite couples: Jane and Mr. Rochester in Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, and Angel and Michael in Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers.

39. Favorite fictional villain?
Bellatrix Lestrange and Dolores Umbridge (from Harry Potter, of course) - they're very interesting characters. I am also quite intrigued by Javert in Les Misérables.

40. Books you’re most likely to bring on vacation?
The next big or heavy books I plan on reading which I have heard good things about. These would usually be classics, fantasy or dystopians. I try reading new books for the time being - so many books to read, so little time to re-read!

41. The longest you’ve gone without reading.
Probably a couple of months - without reading novels, that is.

42. Name a book that you could/would not finish.
The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory - too many intrigues.

43. What distracts you easily when you’re reading?
Nothing much. I almost forget to get off the bus sometimes. But right now, when I am reading Les Misérables, I can't listen to music while reading.

44. Favorite film adaptation of a novel?
The Lord of the Rings, probably. The BBC series for Pride and Prejudice is also pretty awesome.

45. Most disappointing film adaptation?
I don't know. Maybe Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

46. The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time?
A lot of money...maybe two or three thousand crowns (the Norwegian currency), which is around 225 to 340 GBP or 350 - 530 USD.

47. How often do you skim a book before reading it?
Quite often. I also sometimes skim books while reading them if the tension is high or it's an exciting, fast-paced book.

48. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through?
If I get stuck and I don't want to read it anymore.

49. Do you like to keep your books organized?
Yes. Now, they're organised by colour if they're not in a series, in which case they are sorted by series.

50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them?
I keep them, usually. I prefer it that way.

51. Are there any books you’ve been avoiding?
Pure romance books, and especially Christian fiction romance books - they are too predictable.

52. Name a book that made you angry.
I rarely get angry generally, so I can't remember getting angry over a book. I might have gotten angry over The Time Traveller's Wife.

53. A book you didn’t expect to like but did?
Hmm...I think I was kind of surprised at how much I liked The Lord of the Rings - I had read very little classic fantasy before that.

54. A book that you expected to like but didn’t?

I expected to like John Green's early books much more than I did. I was kind of disappointed. I also thought I would like The Princess Diaries since I enjoyed the film, but I didn't like it much at all.

55. Favorite guilt-free, pleasure reading?
Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers - one of my all-time favourites.

The Fault in Our Stars (arrived today)

Happy Julie is happy (and tired).

So The Fault in Our Stars arrived today - it was signed with a BLUE J scribble! Happy Julie is happy. I unboxed it - realised there was indeed a J scribble in my book (and in my favourite colour!) - quickly made dinner (for the next four to five days), ate it fast (only one portion, of course), and settled down to read. I read (almost) continuously for nearly five hours, sitting on my bed. I laughed, I cried, I read lines out loud to myself, I cried some more, I laughed, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. In my case, I believe John Green has achieved his goal, to make the reader feel ALL OF THE THINGS!

It's perfect - and BLUE!

Reading this book was a wonderful, exhilarating experience, probably helped along by my anticipation and long period of waiting for it. I loved this book, and for me, right now (less than an hour after finishing reading the book), it stands as the best book John has written. This book grabbed me, took me on a wild roller coaster ride, and let me get off panting for my breath with a huge grin on my face. It did this better than any of John's other books have done. The characters captured me, I cared (a lot), I loved them, cried with them, and I laughed with them.

I want to thank John Green, not only for writing this wonderful piece of literature, but for taking us, the Nerdfighers, with you on the ride. Thank you for descending into signing psychosis to sign the whole first printing, thank you for making hilariously bad videos with barbaric yawps and horrible fashion sense. Thank you for building and maintaining a wonderful community together with your brother, Hank. Thank you for ALL OF THE THINGS! (Like you said when you had that eye problem back in 2007 - you say thank you a lot when you're in hospital. Well now it's my turn to say thank you back.)

In conclusion, this was a great book, and I loved it. I am really thankful to John Green for writing it, and to John and Hank Green for building Nerdfighteria. The Fault in Our Stars is just a wonderful book. But don't listen to me, I'm biased. Read it yourself!

I buy books like some women buy shoes

Call me crazy, but this is the truth about me: I buy books like some women buy shoes. When I saw the graphic on the right on tumblr, I began thinking. Yes, I realised that this statement is true, but to what extent? At first I thought that it was only a superficial, humorous connection. But then I started thinking - what if there is something more? What if women who buy a lot of shoes have the same experience buying them as I do buying books? What if the same mechanisms are at work?

Christmas haul - and only four of them gifts...

So I asked some women who buy shoes on impulse - and I also asked google - why do you go out of the shoe shop with exactly that pair of shoes? And I think I have the answer - well, at least a simile - it's like the shoes are speaking to you, saying: "Take me home! Don't leave me here!" I realised that this is exactly how I feel about books. Sometimes there's one (or more than one) book in the shop that makes you feel that your fates have just been intertwined. You feel that something is wrong if you don't leave the shop with that book. So, take today. I went out to buy three books, and I came home with six. They call to me. I, as many other women, shop with my emotions, I guess. And then you end up with more than you bargained for.

And then, when the books are in my shelf at home, well read, and maybe firmly placed among my favourite few books, it still speaks to me. And what it says is something like what the book on the right is saying. My books are sort of my friends. They are faithful, and with them on my shelf, there is always the possibility of entertainment. And if the real world is difficult, I can always escape into a good book. There is nothing like the feeling of the world disappearing when I get into a good book. I love my books, and I am very reluctant to throw or give books away. They are like my friends, especially if I like the book, and you don't throw friends away.

Shades of Grey

Here is a book review for those of you who want something to read in the new year, or something to spend your Christmas money on. I have recently (last year (haha)) finished a book called Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde, and I absolutely loved it, so be warned.

This is a book set in the future (hundreds of years), when social hierarchy is decided by people's perception of colour and The Rulebook decides how they live their lives. The main character, Eddie Russett, is a likeable Red who is sent to the Outer Fringes and discovers that the world he lives in is very different from what he thought. Of course, he meets a girl - who repeatedly threatens to kill him, and of course he falls head over heels for her (I promise, this is not a spoiler - it's from the summary on the back of the book).

This book is a gem - mostly because of the language and the puns. I was chuckling as I was reading and I loved how "old-fashioned" words (that is, longer words from our time that has gone obsolete) were noticed when they were used, and there were plenty of colour-related puns. The characters were also really colourful (excuse the pun) and interesting.

This book was slow paced, but I felt that enough things happened to keep me captivated. I read this book at the end of my examination period, when I was revising for my exams. I just wanted to go back to Shades of Grey all the time, because it was so interesting and funny. And above all, this book was extremely entertaining. I am already waiting impatiently for the sequel, which does not come out until 2013. As someone said on Goodreads: "...this dystopian kicks ass."

I hope you had a merry Christmas and I wish you a happy New Year!

PS: What should I count here this year? 50 books is on again, but should I count something else?

Success!

For those of you who appreciate memes

I did it! I read fifty (yes actually 50) books this year! I planned for this to happen, of course, but I am kind of amazed that it did anyway. I'm not huge on self-confidence, as you can probably guess.

So now that I have read all these books, and I also have a lot of books, I have been thinking about what I should do with all these books. I mean, put them in a bookshelf, obviously, but how? A lot is too relative, so I tell you what, I'm going to count all the books in my bookshelf here (The books that are not notebooks, reference, or school related. Basically the books designed for cover to cover reading) (I have more books, but they're not here). Just hold on for a second...

112. So then I, as the sorting and collecting kind of person that I am, unavoidably start thinking about how to sort and organise all these books. For as long as I can remember owning more than one shelf (80 cm long) full of books, I have been organising them alphabetically by the author's last name, like a library. But there are so many ways to organise books!

My books, sorted by colour. Isn't it pretty?

After I moved here, I decided to try a new way that I had seen on (wait for it...) the internet. I sorted my books into two categories - series and singles - and sorted the singles by colour. Not very systematic, I know, but I don't have that many books, so I can find the book anyway. The series then followed, in the order I preferred relative to the size of the bookshelf and the colour scheme. I am pleased with this sorting, and I also find it aesthetically pleasing (I know - I'm such a girl).

But there are many alternatives to these two ways of sorting books. I could organise them by height, or number of pages, or how well I liked the book, or publication year, or genre, or themes, or any other criteria you could possibly think of. I think the most fun would be to have a system that only you can understand. For example, you could group them according to what they meant to you, whether they (in your head) relate to each other in any way (across the usual boundaries) or just your personal preference.

Advent has just started, and there is snow on the ground and a calendar waiting for me in the corner. So I will go now, and open today's package. I hope your December has been nice so far.

Books read: 50
Pages read: 14616

Doodles

It's that time of the year again. The time when everyone around you are sick, and you go around hoping that you won't be. But of course, you're not let off that easily. Of course you feel that slightly unpleasant feeling that something is coming. Then you begin coughing, and there is no way around it. You're sick.

This time around, I actually took my own advice and took a day off from school to get better early on in the process. I hope it has helped enough, so that I don't get really sick.

My doodle, made this evening.

When I am home and I can't be bothered or I don't have the energy to do the things I should do, I can get bored. Then I sometimes want to draw, but I have no idea what to draw. Solution: Doodle! So tonight, when I got bored, I just opened my notebook and doodled a whole page full.

I think our doodles say something about us. Or rather, our favourite doodles say something about us. I sometimes try to do vines, but it's just not my thing. I really like tedious, perfectionist work, so my favourite doodle is forms filled with lines at approximately the same spacing, as you can see.

I'm not quite sure what a love for vines or snakes or knots (like Vihart) say about us, but I think my doodle describes me quite well as a person who likes order, precision, and perfectionism.

My new notebook. It's puuuurty :)

Also, my new notebook is really pretty, don't you think? It shuts with a clasp and has a lovely cover, and the pages have colour on their edges (like the gold on Bibles). I expect it to be filled with my ramblings (and doodles) at some point in the future, but it is quite thick, so I think it will take at least a year. Unless I write more and more and more, like I have done since I started keeping a notebook with me at all times (which is also since I started this blog).

It was a bit strange for me actually filling up my old notebook, because earlier in my life I have just loved my notebooks as books and never really written a lot in them. Maybe it is a mark of growing up that I now finally fill up my notebooks and finish my pens.

Books read: 46
Pages read: 13473

PS: Can you spot the elephant in the doodle?

Read it first!

Have you ever picked up the book behind a film you have watched and not nearly enjoyed it as much as you could, because it is spoiled for you? Well now there is a solution for you! Read it First is a website which promotes reading the book behind the film before seeing the film. For now, the only thing it offers is a weekly newsletter in which you get information about upcoming films and films currently in the cinema which are adaptations of books. You take a pledge, either to read the book before watching the film whenever humanly possible, or the 'light' version where you just pledge to want to know which films are based on books.

The best reason. And it's true for me as well.

Did you know, for example, that Die Hard by Bruce Willis is based on a book? The book is called Nothing Lasts Forever, and you can read about it and three other books behind films in the newest newsletter from Read it First. On the Read it First site you can also find some good reasons why you should read the book before watching the film. One is that the enjoyment per money spent is higher on a book than on a film, but personally, I like the one on the picture the best.

Talking about books, I find reading a very slow process these days. I just never find the time or motivation to sit down and read, even though Paper Towns is so far quite interesting, even though it is not quite my normal type of book. I don't know why I don't want to read, but it may be because of tumblr. Or other major distractions on the internet. I found this on tumblr, and it pretty much sums up the reasons why I can't get much work or reading done these days. I spend a LOT of time on tumblr...not good, not good at all.

Books read: 43
Pages read: 12166

Re-reading books

People often ask me why I re-read books. I mean, I have a good memory, so a year after I read a book the first time, I could probably remember most of the plot points, the names of the characters, and also probably the tone of the book. But still, I enjoy re-reading books. I usually wait at least one year between each re-read, but still, I go into the reading experience knowing what lies ahead.

For me, re-reading a book is kind of like talking to an old friend again after a while apart. You rediscover small things, you see things that you didn't see earlier because then you were just focused on the story and the suspense drove you on. Sometimes you even discover new facets of the book or maybe appreciate more fully the effort put into writing the book. Maybe you see new literary devices or the long lines in the narrative become clearer.

Anyway, reading a book you liked again makes the world of that book spring to your mind, and you can re-acquaint yourself with the characters and the world they live in. Usually, the experiences of reading a book the first time and the consecutive times I read it are quite different. Since I know what is going to happen and how, I can read slower, appreciating the language and imagery. Another huge plus is that I can usually put the book down easier if I've read it before. And, of course, if you own the book, re-reads are completely free! (The poor student speaks again.) I also have a 'rule' that I re-read series of books or books I have borrowed from the library or friends when I own them or the whole series.

But, of course, there are some books that are good to re-read, and there are some that aren't. A huge criteria is that I liked the book the first time I read it (unless, of course, I am giving a book a second chance). Another is that the story has enough nooks and crevices to discover new things, or that it is written in a way that makes me want to read it to experience the emotions again. Another criteria may be that I liked the characters, or maybe that I want to read a book to investigate some of the minor characters that I might have missed in my first (or even second) read.

At any rate, I value re-reads. I think it adds to the experience of the book and I have a great time revisiting old favourites. When it comes to re-reads in my fifty books challenge, I am following the rules laid down in a post on a forum called Your Pants, which allows me to read the same book up to five times a year. I will probably not read any book five times this year, but I might read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows twice (that is, once more this year). So re-reads are cheap and good fun (I think), so think about picking up a book you liked but haven't read in a while for your next read. Good reading!

Pages read: 12150
Books read: 43