it's all in the breathing

#86 A-Z reading challenge - authors & #87 A-Z reading challenge - titles
Updike, John "Villages"
A man remembers his life as it applies to sex and the computer industry in its early days.
What did I think?
Hhm. Didn't like the main character all the much. Actually, any of the characters. Thought some of the exposition was clumsy. I think I'm the wrong generation for this type of book. (Although I remember enjoying one of his other books (can't remember the title) so perhaps it's just this one.)

Voight, Cynthia "When she hollers"
About Tish who has had enough of being abused at home and has taken a knife to school to protect herself. How she copes during the day and what happens when she finally (justifiably) freaks out.
What did I think?
Harrowing portrait of when an abused girl snaps and can't take it any more. Written very much from her point of view so you can very much expereince her heart pounding and confusion over what her confession (if) will do to her and her family. Well respected teen-aimes author. Have to confess it did seem a bit like a book focusing on 'issues' that was all the rage in the late 90s. Worth persisting. Some loose ends for me - what happened with the teacher? What happened to her friend?

#35 Cook through the Edmonds cookbook
Tres proud. Did my first variation today. Granted it came from some fancy kitchenware shop via LoM but it has made me wonder - what if I made it with CUSTARD POWDER rather than COCOA? No pics - it came out of the ovens, our friends turned up, we ate it. (Pictures of crumbs ain't that much fun to look at (although hellishly fun to make.))

Apart from iTunes. Obviously.

#86 A-Z reading challenge - authors & #87 A-Z reading challenge - titles*
Stevenson, Robert L. "Torchlight"
Think of yer classic early 90's action film with square jawed hero and feisty heroine. Now give him a friend who turns out to be the actual hero and give her a psychotic, dangerous adpotive father. Oh, and throw in some deep sea diving facts.
What did I think?
I think you can tell by the plot...and no linky love because the other famous writer (yes, they're related) comes up when I Google him.

Thomas, Dylan "Under Milkwood"
A radio play which is "...an orchestration of voices, sights and sounds that conjure up the dreams and waking hours of an imagined Welsh seaside village within the cycle of one day."
What did I think?
Fantastic. I'd love to hear it as an audio track. (I'm partial to things that roll and tumble and lollop and twist like fighting kittens. Dance, music, writing - it doesn't matter what it is I'm partial to it. Think of then like the equivilent of kowhaiwhai or celtic knots.)

*I thought I'd be clever and start combining the author/title reading list. It's working but unfortunately I'm reading faster than I can get the damn books. Off the list "Shamanka" by Jeanne Willis and "Living Hell" Catherine Jinks - 2 excellent teen aimed books.

#43 See a performance that doesn't include anyone I know
King Lear at the ASB theatre in the Aotea Centre. A mixed bag this. The sound was shit. LoM couldn't even understand what they were saying - I thought it was just me and that I didn't have my shakespeare ears on. Wasn't helped by the coughing (have a fuckin lozenge people) or the deep breathing of the bloke behind us OR the man in front with the squealing hearing aid (although I forgive him. Like I said the sound was shit.) In some places the actors were 'doing' shakepseare - intoning, swooping up and down the register, screeching etc. (Might be personal preference though. That's just not my style.) It was made worse by the flashes of brilliance thoughout the production. Some really nice interpretations of individual lines. If they slowed down they were great too. I guess it's easy to race through the words when you've been doing it for a while. Highlights - blue painted jazz man (I think it was Edgar); the rain/on the beach scene; the arrest scene. Ian McKellan turned in a performance fine at times.

Update 26/8/07: the nasty brother was pretty good too. He always seemed to be on his knees, bouncing up and down, preparing to sprint over and slash someone's throat. Great stuff.

Sasparilla oooyyyy-yaaaaaa *

#86 A-Z reading challenge - authors & #87 A-Z reading challenge - titles
Ruiz Zafon, Carlos "Shadow of the wind"
About a boy who finds a book written by a man who seems to have disappeared. The boy feels compelled to track down the author and find out what happened to him.
What did I think?
Simplistic plot explanation not matched by the writing. Excellent story and translation. Exciting and mysterious with a little bit of love and death thrown in. I love it when books turn out to be like those celtic knots where everything repeats and roils around. Great stuff. Recommended to others as this was recommended to me.

* song title/chorus

Brutal in summer

#86 A-Z reading challenge - authors
Pratchett, Terry "The Wee free men"
About a girl who has to get her brother back from the 'quin' with the help of some pictsies.
What did I think?
I do enjoy a good Terry Pratchett. This is aimed at teens and has a number of highlaryoos situations. What I most enjoy about his books set in Discworld is that it seems so logical and right that the characters behave as they do. They are mostly noble and always come through in the end. Recommended.

#87 A-Z reading challenge - titles
"The quick" by Laura Spinney
About a doctor who treats a patient with a machine lent to her by her old boss.
What did I think?
Atmospheric and isolating, detached character. Like one of those films where emotions are exaggerated (he's really angry! she's really sad! they're really messed up!) Interesting exploration of what grief can do to people.

#86 A-Z reading challenge - authors & #87 A-Z reading challenge - titles
Quigley, Sheila "Run for home"
About an old mystery, bad luck, violence, death and slavery. Has a large cast of characters. And lots of swearing.
What did I think?
Once I'd got over the accent-writing ('yer') I quite enjoyed this book. It's heavy on dialogue. Clever use of the characters makes it seem as though you are looking into their lives in a defined space of time. Nice situations that only occasionally seem over the top and illogical.

like a lamb

So. I can't get through my first choice 'Q' book (so what if it's acclaimed overseas I'm just not that into it (and it's a million fucking pages long)) so I go to the shelf to get a replacement "Q" title book. Not there. So I go to the shelf to get the next author book. Not there. This means I am between books on the list. There isn't one there for me to read.



Not without a book though.*




"In the company of ogres" by A.Lee Martinez while not on the list is rocking my world.

Triffid alert

Those are the house rules punk

Piccies from Mt Atuanui


At the start of the tramp. Here's all of us together. Apart from me - I was taking a photo. Oh, and Suzy (from Forest and Bird, Kaipara) who had taken the previous photo . Oh and the other girl who'd run out to take a photo too.





Tramping through the forest. this mus have been on teh way back because the sun is out. It was pretty cool listening to the wind rushing through the trees on the way up but it did get a bit chilly.





A tiny hooded orchid. Unfortunately I can't often see what I'm taking a photo of until I upload it so I take them and hope for the best. It's the fuzzy green thing in the front. You can't tell but it looks a bit like a cobra hood with black stripes down the back and two little chinese dragon whiskers out the side. I'll try to do something with the other picture of the orchid and post it tomorrow.



You can just see LoM in the distance snapping me as I was snapping her.






The black specks in shadow in the foreground are the trampers. We're heading to the top of that ridge. I'm creeping slowly down trying to save my knees. No problems going up but going down? Freaking pain nightmare.

An afternoon with the people behind you...

#84 Walk Auckland mountain

Done and done. The weather was fine albeit quite windy. It had been raining so the ground was pretty muddy, especially in the farmland walk before you get into the trees. Once in there it was quiet. I guess the birds were hiding out from the wind. Saw a few plants that were so tiny and insignificant I would never guessed at how cool they were. Quite hilly in places - my knees were protesting the downs by the end. I was surprised at how spacious it seemed in places - none of the rampant foliage I'm used to in the ARCpark walks. Great to have people who actually know what they are talking about (rather than just relying on a book) guide you on the walk. Thinking of going back in summer to have a look at the changes.

#1 Tramp a Great Walk

Bit concerned about this now. If I can't even get through a short walk without knees playing up then how will I go a multi-day tramp?

#86 A-Z reading challenge - authors

O'Connell, Carol "Shark Music" (aka "Find Me")

About a tough (and possibily sociopathic) New York detective who has gone off the career path to drive down Route 66 and solve a crime while being followed by two men who love her.

What did I think?

Apparently number 9 in the Kathy Mallory, oops sorry, just MALLORY series. I think I've missed a few - probably thrown when the author (who is barely around on the interweb (WTF - noone is not on the net) so no linky love) took a bit of time off to write another character. Quite odd (and naaaaasty) with a detached kind of writing style. I do wonder whether people really are that happy to love like the blokes do, with no reason to believe that they will ever be appreciated for that devotion...oh wait. OF COURSE. That's what people do all over the place. Plus she's all blonde and sexy and cold green eyes etc etc. Whatever. Recommended.

All the world's a stage

Planning lots of drinking this month so I can see the difference when I #44 Go without Alcohol for a month and check results. Am just the tiniest bit disappointed that I have slowed down consumption recently (not that I was ever a HUGE drinker (OMG DENIAL *heehee*)) so this now seems fairly redundant. Keeping a food (and drink) diary for the next month as a base.

Sooo looking forward to #84 Walk Auckland mountain this weekend. Went out for lunch today and had a small conversation about tramping and the necessity of buying quality gear upfront. Here's hoping the weather stays nice.

Wicked drunk or otherwise

#86 A-Z reading challenge - authors
Newbery, Linda "Set in stone"
About a man who is art tutor to two girls who have a secret that is not their companion (who also has a secret.)
What did I think?
Took a long time to get going, was really exciting about 5 chapters from the end and finished too quickly. All the characters sounded alike. Good plot but.
N.B. Don't search Real Groovy for "Set in stone" unless you're interested in butch-on-butch erotica. Search Newbery.

This task and #87 A-Z reading challenge - titles seem to be going on forever. At least I'm over halfway with both of them now.

Feeling a bit 'fah' with the way things are progressing (if only I had "put on weight" as a task...)

Again.

I'm pretty sure there will be bees

#86 A-Z reading challenge - authors

Kingsolver, Barbara "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle"
About the author and her family spending one year eating locally, which for them means eating as much from their own garden as possible (while not being too precious about it (although this is a woman who hasn't eaten bananas in years in protest at the gas they use getting to the USA.))
What did I think?
This has made me more determined to eat locally, in season and also possibly to go organic. I've read lots about this and always think this is a good idea but never quite get going on it. Hopefully this time it will be different. There will be some challenges to overcome. We don't live on a farm. We live in a rented, steep, sea-view suburban house. Growing things to eat isn't something that I have grown up doing - the garden was always my Dad's area of expertise. We are both people who find it easier to keep doing the things we have always done because they are easier rather than making a bit of extra effort to change. Oh, and our fridge freezes anything lower than the second shelf in random and mysterious ways. Recommended. (The book not dodgy cooling units.)

Lackey, Mercedes "Sanctuary"
The final book in a triology following the adventures of a former serf who has risen to become the leader of a group of new style dragon riders.
What did I think?
Had to read this to finish off the set. Not her best work.

Morris, Paula "Trendy but Casual"
About publicity girl Jane who is told she is "ugly on the inside" by a street person (bag lady? Crazy woman? Can't remember the term) and then spends the rest of the book trying not to be while interacting with a large cast of characters.
What did I think?
A much easier read than her first one "Hibiscus Coast" (local! to me!) as this is more in the vein of the 'Shoppaholic' series rather than a look at art forgery through a detached narrator. Easy and with a much lighter plot (which doesn't mean better as I enjoyed the other one as well.) Recommended.

#76 Attend films I want to see - by myself if necessary.
Watched the inspiration for this task on DVD today -"Hot Fuzz". Laughed until I cried. Am having lots of luck with funny English comedies at the moment.

#31 Go away for a romantic weekend
Left early on Saturday morning to drive up to the Farmers market in Matakana. Bought beers, (bit of advice - if you buy beer from the Leigh Sawmill Brewers make sure to take a note of which type of beer matches which colour sticker and then mark all the other cans so you know which is which) lemons, dried banana chips, (if we eat local within 100km (seems to be the thing although it's the 100 mile diet overseas which would give us a few more kms to play with (another 60 in fact)) we can still have bananas) spicy hot chocolate and whitebait fritters. Drove over to Pakiri then to Leigh, winding our way back to Matakana taking every turn to a beach and going via Snells Beach. Paused at a local tea cafe (recommended - if only I could remember the name - it's on the roundabout corner opposite the cinema and shares the space with a stitching shop and soon potters and something else) before holing up in the motel for a quick rugby break. Decided not to go to the movies as there wasn't anyting on that we really wanted to see. Went to dinner at the place downstairs - delicious, expensive and we left pretty soon because we gatecrashed a table - then spent slightly longer in the wine bar upstairs. Spent some of the movie money on a bottle of a delicious local red. Next morning we'd planned to go to breakfast at a place in Warkworth but it wasn't open so we went to the Queen Street cafe and had a great breakfast there. Took the backroad to Puhoi before stopping at the Cheese factory. Spent teh rest of the movie money on cheese, took in a couple of open homes and then went to our home. About 3 minutes after we had unpacked the van it bucketed down. Great weekend looking around places we usually just drive through/past.