... uncontrollable orgy of printed paper

Excerpt from Isabel Allende's Paula

"I wandered among heavy Spanish furniture, marble statues, and pastoral paintings, calling my grandmother's name, seeking her among the piles of books that filled every corner and reproduced at night in an uncontrollable orgy of printed paper."

I like the last bit. Sounds just like my library floor.

Reading List as of 24 Jan 07

My reading aim for 2007 is to surpass 50 books (at least).

Last year I had the same goal, but managed 48 books only. That's an average of 4 books a month, which is not bad considering I wasted a lot of could-have-been-reading-time stuck in senseless jams getting to and fro work in the city.

This year, with a new job that takes me only one-minute to get to my workplace (tee-hee), I'm hoping to not only achive >50 books, but maybe hit the desired 100 books a year mark.
My read list so far:

1) My Family and Other Animal [Gerald Durell]
2) Just So Stories [Rudyard Kipling]
3) The Wizard of Oz [L. Frank Baum]
4) The Secret Garden [Frances Hodgson Burnett]
5) Spirit Willing Flesh Weak [Julie Cohen]
6) Pinocchio [Carlo Collodi]
7) Blue Christmas [Mary Kay Andrews]
8) Emil and the Detectives [Erich Kastner]
9) The Master and Margararita [Mikhail Bulgakov]
10) Charlotte's Web [E. B. White]

Impressive? Not really. Look closely, the bulk of them are children's novels. They're part of the 501 Must-Read Books I'm using as a guide for good reading. Then's there two Little Black Dress books for light reading, and Gerald Durell's memoir which is such joy to read that I've been dragging it out since December 06.

But still, 10 books and counting! Cheers to 100 books this year. Cross fingers.

Little Black Dress

I love romance novels (oh, what girl doesn't!). Back when I was that dreamy teenager still unclear of the concept of smelly slothy annoying men, Mill & Boons was a huge part of my reading diet. I've thankfully outgrown that phase but I do pick up the occasional romantic novel for a little light reading in between serious books. I love how the stories always end positively with the Mr and Miss sobbing out 'I Love You's at the end. Romance novels are happy novels - it is always a good read after ploughing through several novels with themes of misery and tragic human character failures.

Of course I've always read romance novels in the comfort of my room. It not particularly cool to be seen immersed in a Mills & Boon in public. I'd feel ridiculous to be caught reading in public a book with a half naked black haired beauty astride a shirtless hunky pirate on its cover.

But, TA-DA! Here comes Little Black Dress - romance novels in de-li-ci-ous packing. The book covers are yummy.

So far I've read three in the series:



I confess I bought them first and foremost because they LOOKED so great. The matte covers are nice to run your fingers over, plus the book has nice sharp corners. I'm a sucker for books with nice corners.

At RM 19.90 each, the books are about twice the price of an average M&B, but still less that two-thirds the price of an average book. And yes, they look good on my book shelf!

say..

Excerpt from The Beginning of the Armadillos,
From Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories

"Well, suppose you say that I said that she said something quite different, I don't see that it makes any difference; because if she said what you said I said she said, it's just the same as if I said what she said she said. On the other hand, if you think she said that you were to uncoil me with a scoop, instead of pawing me into drops with a shell, I can't help that, can I?"

Delightful!