February Roundup

The book sculpture on the left, and others like it, have been causing a stir in various locations in Edinburgh. I wanted to include a picture so as to illustrate how talented and delightful they are. There is a lovely story to accompany them and for more information see under Discoveries below.

February has been a very productive month as far as the books go...

Read - 2 and a half books

Completed -

We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

Trick or Treat by Richie Tankersley Cusick (Point Horror #6)

Currently Reading -

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Notes From Walnut Tree Farm by Roger Deakin

The Organic Year by Patricia Gillmore

TBR Pile - currently at 121 (according to GoodReads) with 5 added...

Literary Genius: 25 Classic Writers Who Define English and American Literature edited by Joseph Einstein

The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon

This Beautiful Life by Helen Schulman

No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy

All The Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy

Challenges -

As part of #1 of my personal challenges I haven't bought any books. All of the TBR additions above were presents. I have also kept to the TBR Double Dare (see my sidebar) by only reading books from my TBR pile too.

My last post was the first of my book/film comparisons (although it is actually a TV series) on North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell for #5 of my challenges.

I am currently reading Wuthering Heights for #2 of my challenges.

I completed Trick or Treat as one of the 3 titles recommended by BD to read during 2012.

Wishlist Additions -

The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt

Girl Reading by Katie Ward

Deep Country: 5 Years in the Welsh Hills by Neil Ansell

Discoveries -

The BookCrossing e-newsletter included a link to an article about some beautiful and mysterious book sculptures in strategical literary venues around Edinburgh. The sculptures are lovely (see picture above) and curiously all linked to author Ian Rankin, but the story that accompanies them is also very touching. Use the link to read it for yourself.

I paid my first visit to the Persephone Bookshop in London and what a lovely place to call into. A tiny shop with a workshop at the back, where every surface is piled high with distictive Persephone titles to buy. If you are near Lamb's Conduit Street in the Bloomsbury District of London it is well worth a visit.

Events -

I have had some excellent theatre visits in February...

Propeller are touring Henry V (and A Winters Tale) by Shakespeare and I saw this brilliant version in The Lowry Theatre in Manchester.

The Liverpool Playhouse has an excellent version of Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire on at the moment which I saw last week.

A very good version of Federico Garcia Lorca's The House of Bernarda Alba is on at The Almeida in London.

I have also been accepted again as a World Book Night giver and this year my chosen title is The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I am thrilled, it was great fun last year. It is on 23rd April this year and there are some great titles on offer.

It has been a full on month for book events, lets hope it continues on into March.