Greek Delight?

The Sunrise by Victoria Hislop

proof supplied by Headline and the Reading Agency

When an email dropped into my work inbox offering me the chance to apply for an advance copy of Victoria Hislop's new novel I leapt at it and was lucky enough to get one of the copies on offer.

I read The Island when it first came out and loved it - possibly because I knew the setting, mainly because it was a great book - and have read Hislop's new books avidly since.

The Sunrise is set in Cyprus in 1974, before, during and after the failed coup and the subsequent Turkish invasion and partition of the island.  Cleverly following two families and the way they are linked both sides of the argument are clearly put whilst at the same time making the point that there are very few differences between them. I knew that Cyprus was still a divided nation but not really how or why it happened and the idea of an abandoned city right in the middle of the divide was intriguing.

I'm not sure why but for me this book just didn't have the resonance of Hislop's others.  There didn't seem to be quite the depth of history that I've found in her other novels and also I never felt that I got to know any of the characters despite the length of the book. It all seemed very rushed and at the same time terribly plodding.

I do wonder if this is my fault as I started this book shortly after reading some quite 'heavy' literary fiction and perhaps I hadn't managed to switch my brain around for lighter reading.  Perhaps this really is holiday book and if I re-read it next year on a beach (possibly in Greece) I'll enjoy it more?

A recent photo of Famagusta - a modern ghost town

This is a review of an advance copy, the book is published in September 2014.

Reuniting with an old (book) friend

Best to Laugh by Lorna Landvik

Electronic proof provided from Netgalley.com

I've been a fan of Landvik's writing since a friend pressed a copy of Angry Housewives Eating Bonbons into my hand many years ago.  Since then I've eagerly treated myself to her books on publication and sometimes even ordered the American versions because I just can't wait for the English edition.

I loved this new book although as it was in electronic proof form all the advance information I has was limited and it took me a little while to work out just when the book was set.

From the beginning the characters drew me in and I laughed and cried along with them.  Despite having little in common with any of them I could instantly identify with them and that is the mark of a good writer.

I loved escaping into this book on a day off and like other reviewers I found it blurred, in the right way, fiction and autobiography.  I think that the most shocking thing I found was just how little has changed for women in so many ways since the setting of the book. Women can't be funny, are still judged by their looks and are in a quest to stay young looking.

Brilliant book and now I must go and find Angry Housewives and reread an old favourite.

Theatre 2014: Review Twenty-Seven

Antony and Cleopatra, Shakespeare's Globe, London. August 2014.

This was a postponed play, Mr Norfolkbookworm and I had booked to see this in May but due to the illness of Clive Wood the performance we hoped to see was cancelled and we had to rebook.

It was worth the wait and I am really pleased that we did manage to fit a performance in before the end of the run.  From start to finish this was full of energy, laughter and fun with characters who were totally believable.

For me Antony was a perfect mix of upright soldier who tried to do his duty and a man who had his head turned by a clever, beautiful woman who was completely his equal rather than subservient to him.

Cleopatra was wily, clever, fun, intelligent and just a little insecure and the chemistry between them sizzled throughout.  However they didn't over shadow the rest of the cast, it still was a full ensemble piece that didn't have a weak link.

I'd read the play a little while ago and found myself unsure as to whether it could be labelled as a history, tragedy or comedy and I found that this production married all three aspects whilst leaning towards comedic end of the spectrum the most. There were moments of glorious over acting, thanks to the text not hammy performances, but these were balanced by the drama given to more serious scenes.

Performing battles at sea is never going to be easy on the stage at the Globe and I was very impressed by the portrayal of Actium using just two actors, two flags and some very clever rope work.  The outcome of the battle was very clear and this almost trapeze work made a complete change in pace to the play without spoiling the flow.

Without a doubt this has leapt into my top 5 plays of the year so far and if it hadn't just finished I would urge you all to see it. Luckily it has been filmed and will hopefully be out on DVD (or in the cinema) next year.

After the show there was a special event for Friends of the Globe and we got to spend 45 minutes in the beautiful Sam Wanamaker Theatre hearing 3/4 of the cast talking about the play and answering questions from the audience.
Rightly so a lot of the conversation involved praise for the cast and production but from my studying point of view it was really interesting to hear how the actors feel about performing at The Globe.  I've read a lot of critical work on the space but to hear from the horses mouth about how different, yet rewarding, the space is pleased me.  Many of the cast made the point that it really does make Shakespeare more accessible - as I've certainly found.

This made a perfect end to the afternoon and I think that next season I may try to get to more of these events and I am pleased that Rebecca and I have tickets to the pre-performance talk for Dr Scroggy's War in October.

Theatre 2014: Review Twenty-Six

Richard III, Trafalgar Studios, London. 2014.

In 2012 I saw the amazing Globe Theatre/Mark Rylance Richard III twice and in 2013 I saw Macbeth at the Trafalgar Studios by the same director.

Both of these things had made me wary about seeing this version of Richard III but the thought of seeing Martin Freeman in a serious role drew three of us to the theatre on a very hot August day.

When the cast appeared on stage wearing gas masks Rebecca and I groaned simultaneously - was this to be a total repeat of Macbeth where the characters were incomprehensible?  Happily they pulled this odd prop off straight away and one fear at least was allayed.

The play wasn't totally bad. Freeman was very good and it was easy to forget that it was 'him from Sherlock/ the Hobbit/ the Office' on stage.  He was also very good at the comic side of Richard's character but I never really got the malevolent side of him at all, even in the scene where he is brutally murdering his wife.  He wasn't particularly playing the role for laughs I don't think but the audience were certainly reacting as if it was total comedy throughout and I think this, and the staging lead me to feel this.

The staging was cluttered, the actors couldn't move around at all and I'm not really sure what the 1970s setting added to the play, in fact when Richard calls "my horse..." it seemed really stupid and nothing at all to do with the play.

I never connected with the action at all, I really might as well have been watching a film - something that I've not experienced at the theatre for a long time. It isn't as if the theatre itself is huge causing this disconnect, just my response to a flat production which seemed to be just like Macbeth complete with the opening of the back of the theatre to the main street to allow the soldiers to flood in and create an effect.

Rebecca had a lot of problem with the female characters adding nothing to the production, and reminded me of the power they had in the all male version. I can see what she means,I thought that in this version the director realised that the play was quite 'female-lite' and so had them on stage more but despite this they become indistinguishable from each other and to be honest a lot of the time were inaudible.

I wanted to like this production, I'd hoped that Macbeth was an aberration from a good director but I feel that his attempts to make Shakespeare 'hip' are hindering the plays which don't need fancy staging just good clear story telling.

This production has come in for some criticism from various sides saying that the audience are only going to see Martin Freeman and that they are spoiling theatre by not knowing how to behave.  I didn't find this at all, it was nice to see a younger audience at a play and there was no inappropriate applause or screaming.  I did find the humour overplayed in respect to the horror but that isn't necessarily the audience's fault.

I'm glad we saw Freeman on stage -it was nice to see that he can be more than a  bumbling side-kick but I'm afraid I won't be rushing back to any more Trafalgar Transformed productions and I'll be very wary of plays directed by Jamie Lloyd.

It was nice that our third theatre-going friend could make this play with us again, we've missed her! I just hope that she wasn't put off by our choice of play.  A third perspective after the production was really nice.

Theatre 2014: Review Twenty-Five

The Tiger Who Came to Tea, Lyric Theatre, London. August 2014.

Attending theatre events aimed at the under ten audience is becoming a real treat and I am so happy that my nephew is becoming an ardent theatre-goer.

Unlike the other shows I've attended with him this one was more typical of a children's play and I wasn't quite sure what to expect, especially after having read The Tiger Who Came to Tea out loud so many times at work story times it isn't one of my top 10 picture books (it is in the top 50 however).

This was, again, magical. There was lots and lots of audience participation but unlike at panto this was totally integral to the story and not at all cringe worthy.

The special effects were wonderful - watching the Tiger eat all of the food and the gasps of amazement that accompanied this made it worth the ticket price without a doubt!

The other thing that amazed me was the audience, a full theatre of children and yet the audience were so well behaved and much less disruptive than many at serious shows full of, supposedly, adults. Very few people fidgeted or left and I didn't hear/see a single mobile phone.

I was worried how such a short, and lets be honest quite old fashioned book, would work but it was brilliant.

Once more the programme was a copy of the original book - another plus for seeing children's theatre and I love the idea of using theatres in the morning (or in the afternoons on non-matinee days) to introduce a new generation to the delights of the theatre and the excitement of seeing plays in London's West End.

This was the last trip for a while I'll be making to the theatre with my nephew as he starts school in a month but I'm already looking out for plays suitable for him that will be on stage in the school holidays but shhhh... don't tell his mum!

Summer Reading

Roomies by Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando

Supplied by Bookbridgr.com

Seeing this book on the Bookbridgr review scheme made me very happy - two of my favourite teen fiction tropes and by an author I already love.  I was a very happy Norfolkbookworm to find this on my doorstep over the weekend.

Lauren and Elizabeth are about to leave home for the first time to go to university, they've been assigned as room-mates for their first year and so spend the summer emailing each other in preparation for the autumn.

The book isn't deep, and there was little in it that related to my memories of leaving home for uni but I loved the book, the way that the girls are slowly trying to sort their lives out before a big change and how two such very different people can be so similar in many ways was wonderfully conveyed.  The characters felt real and their situations always realistic which is an achievement when as an adult you read light fiction aimed at teenagers.

I think that the mixture of sensible length emails interspersed with straight forward narration worked well, too often when reading epistolary fiction I lose interest because in reality very few people would write letters/emails that long every time.

I needed the escapism of something easier to read after a session of longer, complicated books and a big event at work - this fitted the bill completely and was a fun read.  I hope that we hear more from LoCo and EB as they were such strong voices.

Theatre 2014: Review Twenty-Four

Julius Caesar, Shakespeare's Globe, London. August 2014.

Another lovely day weather wise and this time spent in the almost outdoors theatre!

I was a little apprehensive at seeing this one as I've seen a production of Julius Caesar before and my review then was a little ambiguous and I think that this one will be too as I've decided that perhaps it doesn't matter what the staging is I'm just not keen on this play.

I was right in my assessment of preferring the Globe version, the involvement of the audience in the key scenes in the first half was brilliant, I felt really swept away in the Lupercalia celebrations and surprised when it all turned darker.

The scenes with Brutus and Mark Anthony were also wonderful, the famous "friends, Romans, countrymen" speeches really had impact and like at a public meeting I felt myself first believing one and then changing my mind and following the other - the power of speech.

The second half again, whilst still fast paced and well acted, just didn't carry me along in the same way and this is why I think the play itself isn't for me rather than any fault with any production.  A play of two halves, and from that I prefer the first!


This production continued with the bloody theme and I am beginning to wonder if the stage will be stained pink forever!

A play summed up Rebecca as "a bit stabby" which is possibly a slight understatement!

Book a Day July

As promised/threatened last month I've once more summed up all of my answers to the #BookadayUK questions for July into one place.  Some of the questions are a bit similar to those in June but I did manage to respond to a few tweets on the day this month!

1st - A book that made you laugh out loud

The Suicide Shop by Jean Tuele, trans. Sue Dyson.  Deliciously black comedy, I found it a mix of The Addams Family and Pixar's Ratatouille.

2nd - Favourite SF/Fantasy novel for world UFO day

Easier to pick authors than specific books as so many are series rather than stand-alone novels but John Wyndham is a real favourite.

3rd - Favourite novel in translation

Either The President's Hat trans. by a team at Gallic Books or All Quiet on the Western Front (new trans. by Murdoch).

4th - All time favourite American novel for 4th July Independence Day

Children's book has to be Little Women but Stoner by John Williams is one I've recommended a lot.

5th - Most delicious novel about food

I really liked Baking Cakes in Kigali and also Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe but I'm not sure I'd try the barbecue.

6th - Which book you will put down to watch the Wimbledon final

For the first time in a long time I actually stopped reading to watch the sport, I usually multitask, but I was reading Madeline Miller's Song of Achilles (again).

7th - Most chocolatey novel - it's National Chocolate Day

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory without a doubt.

8th - Favourite Great War novel

Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front is probably my favourite novel set in WW1 but my favourite book about the war is Vera Brittain's Testament of Youth.

9th - Most irritating character in a novel

Pollyana.  The idea of turning a positive to a negative is fine once in a while but for two novels and countless spin-offs it is just too much.

10th - Novel with the most memorable picnic for Teddy Bear Picnic Day

Any of the ones that happen in Ransome's Swallows and Amazons series of books.

11th - The book that made you cry

Many books can make me cry but John Green's The Fault in Our Stars left me a wreck for ages.

12th - Novel that best conjured a place for you

This would be Caroline Lawrence's Roman Mystery series, by the time I got to Rome I felt I knew the place and on visiting Ostia I felt I'd stepped back in time.

13th - Best title for a novel

Which ever one has just caught my eye and made me pick it over everything else I've got in a to read pile.

14th - For Bastille Day, your favourite novel about or set in France

No surprises here as I pick The President's Hat.

15th - Last book that you bought

On the day here it was the wonderful biography of the first American female in space - Sally Ride - as recommended by the team who run Space Lectures and the events in Pontefract with the astronauts.

16th - Favourite book to take to the beach

Cheating here as I have to pick my Kindle as it gives me access to 100s of books to suit whatever mood I'm in.

17th - Novel which surprised you the most

Probably On the Beach by Neville Shute as it was the first truly bleak book I ever read and I was surprised that books didn't have to have a positive ending. I was only about 12 at the time.

18th - Favourite crime novel of all time - it's the Harrogate Crime Festival

Not a favourite genre at all but I do like the Greek Detective books by Anne Zouroudi.

19th - Most memorable plot twist

We Need to Talk About Kevin. I really didn't expect how that concluded. Really powerful writing.

20th - Your desert island novel

Again I'll have to cheat and pick either my Kindle as the thought of being without a book is the scariest thing ever.

21st - The novel you expected to hate, but turned out you loved

I wasn't expecting to like Longbourn as I've not read Pride and Prejudice but it was a real surprise and favourite from 2013.

22nd - The novel you most like to give to friends

I'm always a bit worried that people won't like books I love so I tend to give book tokens!

23rd - Favourite novel with an exotic background

Twisting this to be favourite exotic background and saying anything set in Greece as they either bring back memories or inspire travel!

24th - A book that reminds you of your English teacher

My Family and Other Animals. Durrell was recommended to me by a teacher when I had no clue what to read next.

25th - Book that is your guilty pleasure

The one I'm reading when I should be doing anything else.

26th - The novel you wish you'd written

I'm a reader not a writer so it really could be any book ever written but I think that if pressed I'd pick Matilda by Roald Dahl

27th - For National Parent's Day - the best or worst parents in fiction

Predictable but Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird is awesome.

28th - Favourite animal character

I think this one goes to Badger in Wind in the Willows - antisocial and grumpy but a really good friend when in need! Although Tigger will always be my true favourite character.

29th - Favourite likeable villain

Influenced by the film Hook I've always had a soft spot for Captain Hook from Peter Pan.

30th - The book that you'd like to read thanks to recommendations on the #bookadayuk thread?

I've been reminded of so many books in the past few months but I think that it is time to re-read the Swallows and Amazons series and to try The Master and Margarita by Bulgakov.

31st - The book that reminds you of someone special

Two here - Heidi and Black Beauty as my parents recommended these two to me and I still have their childhood copies of the books.

Thought Provoking

The Virgins by Pamela Erens

(book supplied by Bookbridgr.com)

I saw this on the shelf in a bookshop a few months ago and noted it down as one to read over the summer and then when the chance came to review it for Bookbridgr I was really pleased.

It wasn't an easy read in terms of content and style but I certainly found myself racing through the pages.

Set in an elite and relatively free thinking American boarding school in the late 1970s we follow a few of the students through one academic year, mostly from the view point of the graduating class. Our narrator is truly unreliable although this only comes to light a little while into the book. He however does let us know that a lot of what he is saying is supposition or discovered after the event and so as a reader you are informed of this.

Two of the students develop a passionate relationship and this spirals out of control during the course of the year in many ways and while a lot of reviewers talk of a surprise and shocking ending I did find this signposted throughout by our narrator and enjoyed seeing how skilfully Erens managed to build to the event.

I found the book deeply unsettling, a good reminder of just how far women have come since 1979 - the casual acceptance of sexual assault (although again all from our unreliable and rather nasty narrator) really made an impact on me.

Very much like Stoner last year I enjoyed this book but I can't see myself recommending it to all and sundry - it will make an interesting reading group read for some as there are so many ideas to discuss.

Theatre 2014: Review Twenty-Three

The Elephantom, New London Theatre, London. July 2014.

The best thing about being an auntie (apart from the cuddles) is being able to share books and other experiences with my nephew.  He's already turning into a junior bookworm and I'm pleased to say that his theatre habit is coming along quite nicely too...

His birthday treat this year was an outing to London to see the Elephantom but we were so lucky with the weather that it turned into a whole day of fun including a trip on the river, hunting for book benches, an introduction to the Globe and a picnic before we even got to the theatre!

On a hot day the New London Theatre was a delight with the cool air conditioning but the real excitement was the show.

A little girl is ignored by her parents until chaos ensues when an Elephantom moves in...so far so standard in children's fiction. The Elephantom however is incredibly troublesome even to his new friend and the tipping point is when he invites his friends over for a party.  Gran comes to the rescue however and after a trip to a magical shop the Elephantom is encouraged to move out and cause chaos elsewhere.

This play is almost wasted on children although my nephew sat spellbound throughout - giggling mightily when the elephant gets wind and poops on stage!  It is a wordless play which is choreographed as carefully as any ballet and the ideas are quite complex. The Elephantom isn't on stage all of the time and this could cause a dip in attention but some how it doesn't.

I hope that at some point the National Theatre release a DVD of this, like they did for their Cat in a Hat, because I think it is a play that can be watched many times at all ages. I know I want to see it again.

Like in War Horse the staging allows you to see the puppet operators as they work the Elephantom but again they are forgotten to the extent that when the little girl tugs the trunk of the naughty elephant and he appears to come apart my nephew really did gasp as if it were real.

My favourite thing of this show is that instead of a programme the ushers are selling copies of the book that the play is based on.  What could be better my two favourite things in one place!

The Right Stuff

Sally Ride: America's First Woman in Space by Lynn Sherr

It seems appropriate for two reasons to be reading the biography of Sally Ride at the moment.

July 20th saw the 45th anniversary of the first moon landing by Armstrong and Aldrin (supported by Michael Collins) and this coming weekend is when Norwich holds the city Pride celebrations.

NASA's first quarter century was full of firsts but flying women and non white men was not on the cards - it wasn't until the late 1970s that minorities and females were selected as potential astronaut candidates.

Ride was among this group and was selected to fly on STS-7 in 1983 to become the first American women to leave the planet (although the 3rd female in space). Return to earth left her as a celebrity and this continued after she flew for a second time and then after the Challenger disaster served on the panel investigating the tragedy.

After leaving NASA Ride, and her partner Tam, set up an incredible programme to encourage girls to become interested in science.  These initiative are not just for girls but they are all about making it normal for girls and women to be scientists. I was always lucky in that my family, and my school, always encouraged me to do what I wanted but this breaking down of barriers is great.  To see one of the amazing initiatives for middle school children have a look at EarthKAM.

While NASA had opened up enough to allow women and minorities to fly into space, sadly homophobia (real or perceived) kept Ride from publicly acknowledging much of her life, but now this is being rectified and the message of the book is that it is okay to be whatever and whoever you want.

Sherr, the author of the book, admits freely that as well as a journalist and biographer she was also Sally's friend and so there may be some bias in the book but for me the important thing is that the story is told and that girls continue to dream, to study and to experiment.

 STS-7 launch photo 1983 carrying 1st American female, Sally Ride, into space

Many thanks to the team at Space Lectures for letting me know about this title.

The Spying Game

The Spy Who Changed the World by Mike Rossiter

Book supplied through the Bookbridgr.com programme.

A good non fiction book can read like a novel, and with a topic such as spying fact is often more far fetched than fiction can ever be. This is something I kept thinking about while reading this book.

It was a quick read that held my interest from the start, as with the best non fiction books the details of the topic covered - in this case nuclear power and nuclear weapons - were given with the right amount of information.  Science and mathematics are important to the book but Rossiter never forgets that the reader is more than likely not going to be an expert in these fields.

The intricacies of spying were also kept clear throughout the narrative and at all times I could keep the protagonists clear in my mind even with all of the code names, which is again a bonus as a non expert.

However I am not sure if it is because a lot of the information is still classified or if it is because the book was just aimed a little too much at a lay man that I found it very slightly unsatisfying.  I know it seems odd to praise a book for being accessible and then to criticise it for lack of detail but to me it just felt a little slight when compared to Ben MacIntyre's books in the same genre.

There were lots of reasons that I enjoyed the book, and it complemented another advance copy I'd read in the past few months, The Girls of Atomic City by Denise Kiernan, but it has left me wanting to find the time to read a more in depth biography of Fuchs and his antics.

Theatre 2014: Review Twenty-Two

The King's Peach, The Blakeney Players, Blakeney. July 2014.

As ever this review comes with the caveat that it cannot be impartial as I know one of the cast.

It was the hottest day of the year so far when we left the city for our bi-annual trip to the Norfolk coast for an evening of fun with the Blakeney Players and for once the traffic played ball and we made good time so had a lovely pub supper and then there was even time for a walk on the beautiful marsh before settling in for some laughs.

How to describe this one... erm... apart from the over use of superlatives it is quite hard...
 
Imagine The King's Speech mixed with a little bit of Roald Dahl, Strictly Come Dancing, Celebrity Bake Off, Agatha Christie and Sherlock with a dash of Hitch Hiker's Guide to Galaxy and a large slug of political quips and a soupcon of local humour.

It was a wonderful evening and I'm not sure I will ever recover from seeing Prince George making a toad in the hole whilst waltzing and then singing a re-write to the song YMCA. The special effects were wonderful as well.

(cast photo sneaked during the curtain call)

We actually saw the first show in the run - there are tickets available for the remaining four shows and I do highly recommend it as a showcase of just what amateur dramatics should be about. Oh and with views like the one below just 5 minutes from the theatre how can you refuse?

Blakeney Harbour in the evening light.

Travelling vicariously

Without Reservations by Alice Steinbach

Since coming back from holiday I've been reading quite a lot of travel writing, perhaps in a hope of prolonging the feeling of being on holiday, the books have been of all types and my list of places to both visit and avoid are growing ever longer.

One of the best I've read was The Yosemite by John Muir, this was written in 1912 and is a collection of thought made by Muir after years spend visiting Yosemite National Park.  I'd tried his books before but found them very hard going, however on returning to this one after visiting the area was a delight as I could now really 'see' what he was writing about. If you aren't familiar with the geography/wildlife however I do wonder if you'll enjoy it as much.  It is worth trying just for his descriptions of avalanches and thunderstorms.

Other books I've read have been the autobiographies of National Park Rangers in various areas of the USA.  These are insightful and funny and as someone who has worked in various customer service jobs for years there is a lot to relate to.  The knowledge, advice and friendliness of all of the NPS employees we've met have really added to our experiences of the American wilds and it does make me sad to read how overstretched, under protected and vulnerable they often are.

The last book in the genre I've read broke my book butterfly problem and I have no idea who suggested it to me or why I had it on reserve from the library.

Without Reservations is the story of Alice Steinbach's 9 months spent in Europe in 1993.  She takes a sabbatical from her job (and life) in Baltimore and apart from knowing where she'll be living in Europe she crosses the Atlantic with no plans.  This could so easily have become mawkish - like I found the inexplicable popular Eat, Pray, Love - but was delightful and I sat up until gone midnight as I had to keep reading.
Alice is a friendly person and even when feeling lonely and shy in new cities manages to meet people and turn them into friends where ever she goes which no doubt adds to her experience but her willingness to try anything makes her journey a joy to read.

Cities that I know well revealed new secrets to me through the writing and again yet more destinations have been added to my list of places to visit.  However Alice's experiences in Rome were so different to mine that I wanted to encourage her to go again and give a magical place a second chance.

This book was a pleasant surprise and just what I needed to kick start my reading again.

Book Butterfly

I have a terrible confession.

Just lately I've had terrible trouble finishing a book.
I've started loads and they've generally been really good but  lots of great books have just been added to Net Galley and I've been approved to read them, plus proof copies from Bookbridgr and other sources have been dropping through the door.
This means that however good the book I was reading was I've dropped it in favour of the new.

My to-be-read pile is enormous again and all of the books look appealing and many need reviewing but thanks to Twitter I've just discovered that there are two new astronaut biographies out and we all know that I am a sucker for them...

It is probably a good thing that I am on summer break from uni at the moment and so do actually have time to read without causing the MA to suffer but I really need to settle down to a book and read it from cover to cover. And then review it!

Book-A-Day June

In June, while I was away, I started noticing lots of tweets going around all tagged #BookadayUK.

When we got home, and I'd recovered from the jet lag I looked into this and discovered it was an initiative from Borough Press to get people talking about books on Twitter.  Each day a question about books was given and people from all over the world answered.

I didn't take part as by the time I found out about it the month was more than half gone, but since then I've been thinking about it and decided that all in one go I'd answer the questions.

1st - Favourite book from childhood? 

Has to be Little Women, I still reread it at least once a year and the sequel Good Wives can still make me cry.

2nd - Best Bargain? 

This would be when I found a hardback copy of Two Sams at the Chalet School in pristine condition for just £5, copies are on sale currently for £250!!

3rd - One with a blue cover? 

Captain Corelli's Mandolin. The cover is mostly blue and the book wonderful, just don't expect the film to be faithful to the book.

4th - Least favourite book by a favourite author? 

The Wildflower Path by Sarah Harrison. I loved the detail of Flowers of the Field and A Flower That's Free but this one was slight and just a re-write of the first two books. Long awaited but disappointing.

5th - Doesn't belong to me? 

A huge pile of library books, my library card is often maxed out.

6th - The one I always give as a gift?  

A bit of a cheat but I generally give book tokens so that people can pick their own. 

7th - Forgot I owned it? 

Any number of titles as my shelves are all double stacked. I have got 3 copies of Regeneration by Pat Barker so I do keep forgetting I own this.

8th - Have more than one copy? 

Does it count having a paper copy and an eBook version...

9th - Film or TV tie in? 

My copy of Chocolat is the film version, and possibly also one that I prefer the film to the book.

10th - Reminds me of someone I love? 

This would be any of the space history books around the house as I'd never have become so interested in this topic without Mr Norfolkbookworm.

11th - Secondhand bookshop gem? 

About 70% of my books are secondhand but I think it has to be the aforementioned Two Sams at the Chalet School.

12th - I pretend to have read it?

 I'm not too embarrassed about admitting to have not read things but I've never read 1984.

13th - Makes me laugh? 

I find the most inappropriate things funny but Bill Bryson's books about America always raise a smile, his ones about Europe and Australia are a bit xenophobic but I love the US ones.

14th - An old favourite? 

I'll often re-read the Tortall books by Tamora Pierce, I think I must nearly know some of them by heart now.

15th - Favourite fictional father? 

Struggling with this as so many books I like need an absence of parents for the plot. Probably the Swallow's father from Ransome's Swallows and Amazons.

16th - Can't believe more people haven't read? 

Birds Without Wings by Louis de Bernieres. A real epic in the Homeric style which I think puts people off but a real sweeping story about Greece, Turkey and World War One.

17th - Future classic? 

Too hard to predict but I do think that the Harry Potter books will survive in the way that Hobbit / Lord of the Rings have done.

18th - Bought on a recommendation? 

Numerous books, last one was probably Mr Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore which I adored.

19th - Still can't stop talking about it? 

The President's Hat, great fun all the way through and one that I seem to recommend and defend in equal measures.

20th - Favourite cover? 

Probably the grey covers from Persephone books as they are just beautiful but don't influence your thoughts of the books as they give nothing away.

21st - Summer read? 

Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey. Set in snowy Alaska and a real escapist read in a humid, sticky English heat.

22nd - Out of print?  

At least 50% of my books fall into this category and thanks to specialist publishers more are coming back into print. I'll pick many of the Mary Renault books but they are being reprinted in August so they only just count!

23rd - Made to read at school? 

There weren't too many of these but I still don't know the ending to Stig of the Dump as we didn't get to the end of it when I was in the 2nd year of primary school.

24th - Hooked me into reading? 

I can't remember a time when I couldn't read but early favourites were the Garden Gang series of books.

25th - Never finished it? 

Watership Down, tried so many times but the warning given by a teacher that it was a "bit hard" when I was about 7 and it keeps stalling me.

26th - Should have sold more copies? 

The President's Hat. It is very funny but I think that being in translation put many people off.

27th - Want to be one of the characters? 

Generally the book I am currently reading if I am enjoying it.

28th - Bought at my favourite independent bookshop? 

I love all bookshops equally so can't pick a favourite.

29th - The one I've reread the most often? 

Probably Little Women but the Tamora Pierce books are a close second.

30th - Would save if my house burned down? 

I think that eventually most of my books could be replaced but my signed astronaut biographies would be the irreplaceable ones and so the ones I'd save.

The publishers Doubleday have taken up the baton and the same thing is happening through July and again I keep missing these so will do a round up again in August. If you are on Twitter then do check the hashtag as I am creating huge long list of recommendations!

Theatre 2014: Review Twenty-One

Last Days of Troy, Shakespeare's Globe, London. June 2014.

New writing at the Globe has a real hit and miss reputation, however Mr Norfolkbookworm and I seem to have struck it lucky each time.  Last year Bluestockings was fantastic and this new play by Simon Armitage was equally as enjoyable.

The play is based on the last few weeks of the siege of Troy and uses Homer's Iliad and Virgil's Aeneid as source material to create a retelling of the events. The original texts are both sprawling and often confusing with many characters and interfering deities but this version simplified the cast and kept the narrative clear and easy to follow.

A few times the language seemed a little modern for the setting and the outburst from Achilles which was full of obscenity really jarred but apart from that I was swept away from the start.  I also very much liked the framing device of the immortal Gods stuck in a world where no one believes in them anymore and poor Zeus being forced to act as a living statue portraying himself and selling models of himself at an archaeological site!

We saw the last performance of this play at the Globe but if it tours or is revived then I do recommend it as it has certainly moved into my top 10 of plays seen this year so far.

Happy Birthday Yosemite

Exactly 150 years ago today (June 30th 1864) President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill creating the Yosemite Grant. This was the first instance of American land being set aside for recreation and protection and paved the way for the creation of the first National Park (Yellowstone) in 1872.

I was lucky enough to visit Yosemite earlier in the month and I am so glad that even during the American Civil War protection of the wilds was considered important.

Visiting Yosemite was like visiting a old friend as a lot of the scenery was familiar to me thanks to the work of my favourite photographer Ansel Adams and the highlight for me was the chance to visit the Ansel Adams Studio and also to take a guided photography walk run by the gallery.

It wasn't a particularly long walk but we went to some of the iconic destinations and I learned a lot about how to use my camera better, how to compose shots and also how to convert picture to black and white.  I am very happy with a lot of the images I took and I can see an improvement in my photos already.

On our trip we also visited many other amazing places and saw some of the most incredible things ever - if you want to be bored by my holiday snaps then they are all visible on Flickr. Of course travel like this does mean no time for theatre and apart from the loooooong flights not too much time for reading, however when you see a bear while out for a walk other past times are forgotten!

Theatre 2014: Review Twenty

A Bunch of Amateurs, The Watermill Theatre, Bagnor (Newbury). May 2014.

After taking Mr Norfolkbookworm's aunt to Chichester last year she told us all about another beautiful theatre near to her house - The Watermill. After almost a year we found a play we all wanted to see and a date we could all make.

We had a wonderful evening, starting in the restaurant of the theatre having a delicious meal and then moved through the building, across the stream and past the watermill wheel into a fabulous little theatre.

A Bunch of Amateurs is all about a group of village players in Stratford St John who have dwindling funds and audience and as a result are in danger of closing for good.  They hit on the bright idea of inviting a celebrity to star in a performance of King Lear in the hope that this will turn them around.

This triggers a series of comedic events starting with the arrival of a fading American action hero actor who thinks he's been picked by the RSC to play at Stratford-upon-Avon.

It sounds dreadful, cliched and predictable and certainly the last two are fair comments BUT the script, the acting and the staging mean that it is wonderful and funny as well and certainly not dreadful.  The set fitted into the theatre's own decor brilliantly and until it was used I really did think that it was part of the general fixtures and fittings.

Professionals acting as amateurs and not over doing it seems a real skill and the cast managed this wonderfully, even though this was only the 3rd or 4th performance I noticed no hesitations or stumbles and yet the cast did seem a realistic bunch of amateurs. The script itself is very funny and this adaptation has been co-written by Ian Hislop and Nick Newman and is fully of points that are clearly dear to Hislop but are tempered by Newman's influence so that the play works rather than becoming a sounding board for Hislop's opinions.

This play runs until June 28th and if you can get to the venue and there are tickets I think it is brilliant and worth the effort.  I'd love to see it tour so more can have the fun we did but I think that it takes a professional cast to do it justice - too much of the irony would be lost if it wasn't and the fine line between comedy/farce and disaster could easily be crossed.

Around the world in six books

Considering the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize 2014.

For the past few years I've been reading a lot of literature in translation and also taking part in the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize, last year I took part in a Readers' Day based on the prize but this year got a little more glitzy!

One of the reading groups I belong to was approached by The Booktrust and asked to read the six shortlisted titles and then answer some questions on each one. These answers were then collated in to two posts on the prize website. These can be found here and here.

The six books were:

• A Meal in Winter by Hubert Mangarelli, trans. Sam Taylor
• Revenge by Yoko Ogawa, trans. Stephen Snyder
• The Iraqi Christ by Hasan Blassim, trans. Jonathan Wright
• A Man in Love by Karl Ove Knausgaard, trans. Don Bartlett
• The Mussel Feast by Birgit Venderbeke, trans. Jamie Bulloch
• Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami, trans. Allison Markin Powell

All were interesting reads but my favourite was Strange Weather in Tokyo and this is a book I've already recommended to lots of other readers both at work and home.

On the prize ceremony night three of us made it to the Royal Institute of Architects for the main event and it was a lovely evening complete with champagne and canapes themed to the countries represented on the short list.

The chair of the judges, Boyd Tonkin, gave a brilliant speech debunking the myth that 'no one reads books in translation' - on the day the prize was awarded the top 3 bestselling fiction titles were translations as was the bestselling non fiction book!

The winner on the night was The Iraqi Christ which was my least favourite of the six titles but the author and translators were so nice that I can't be too upset!  What was nice is that for the first time in the history of the prize a special mention was given to a book (The Mussel Feast) and this was my second favourite book from one of my favourite publishers.

I love being a part of this prize but have everything crossed that in 2015 a woman will finally win!

Many thanks to Booktrust and The Writers Centre Norwich for letting me be a part of this shadowing group, but again this blog is fully independent and was not a condition of taking part.