May and June Roundups

I have been in Italy for over a month and I had planned on posting on my tablet from there but it wouldn't let me post pictures, so instead of the 'sporadic posts' that I mentioned I have been missing unintentionally, but not permanently. Now I am back and service will resume as normal.
While I was away too, just after my arrival, it was The Octogon's 5th Birthday on the 18th May, so I was pretty disappointed not to be able to put something on here. Five years... wow!
I was living in Florence while I did a language course to learn Italian, it was the best fun and a delight to have the excuse to pretend that I lived in my favourite city. Part of me has stayed there, I felt so at home, and hope to go back as soon as I can.
In the meantime, did I do much reading...?
Read - one book. Yes, only one!
Completed -
The Gathering by Anne Enright
Currently Reading -
The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks
Literary Genius edited by Joseph Epstein
Adventures of a Waterboy by Mike Scott
The Natural Navigator by Tristan Gooley
The Last Elf by Silvana De Mari
TBR Pile - currently at 127 (according to GoodReads) with 2 added...
If This Is A Man / The Truce by Primo Levi
The Drowned and The Saved by Primo Levi
Challenges -
Read The Gathering by Anne Enright, winner of the 2007 Man Booker Prize, which fits with #8 of my challenges to read a prizewinner.
Reading The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks to fit in with #6 of my own challenges, to read at least one title acquired in a book swap at work. It also seemed a fitting tribute to the author who died earlier this year too.
Wishlist Additions
The Twelve by Justin Cronin
Discoveries -
The fantastic bookshop Paperback Exchange in Florence, Italy. Selling books in English it is an excellent place to spend time, with a good assortment of titles and translations, new and second-hand, in a couple of rooms with seats to encourage browsing. The staff are very friendly, and they run a loyalty scheme and will also buy back your unwanted books for credit in the shop. I indulged in more than a few visits. It was here also that I bought the Primo Levi titles mentioned above. I have always wanted to read more after being amazed by Moments of Reprieve years ago. When I came across more in this bookshop, it seemed apt and special to buy them while in Italy.
Events -
Apart from feeling like I was in an E M Forster novel while walking around Florence, and seeing where the Rossetti's lived and where George Eliot and Henry James stayed while visiting the city, Florence is an incredibly artistic and literary place to be, inspiring, beautiful, historic, but also very current. I miss it terribly, but I know I will be back soon.

June Roundup

Lovely gooseberries, the sign of summer. Bought a load of these from our local market last week to make Gooseberry and Elderflower Ice Cream. The luscious green of these fruit, in season for such a short time, seemed a good representation for June.
On to the books...
Read - half a book. It has been a slow month, being away for a week and an otherwise busy month.
Completed - none
Currently Reading -
The Lost and Forgotten Languages of Shanghai by Ruiyan Xu
Notes from Walnut Tree Farm by Roger Deakin
The Organic Year by Patricia Gallimore
TBR Pile - currently at 124 books (according to GoodReads) with just one added...
Eve Green by Susan Fletcher
Challenges -
Still managed to stick to #1 of my challenges to not buy any new books this year. My one addition to the TBR pile was a second hand copy from The Sanctuary Bookshop on Broad Street in Lyme Regis, a great bookshop to get lost in for an hour or so.
Completed #5 of my challenges to compare 3 books to films with The Great Gatsby in my last post.
Wishlist Additions -
Illyrian Spring by Ann Bridge
Tiny Homes Simple Shelter by Lloyd Khan
The Green Self Build Book by Jon Broome
The Art of Mindful Gardening by Ark Redwood
Red Sky At Night by Jane Struthers
Discoveries -
The Old Books Guide and its accompanying website http://www.oldbookssw.co.uk/, a very useful resource for Antiquarian and Second Hand Booksellers in the Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset.
Two great bookshops in Lyme Regis in Dorset...The Sanctuary Bookshop on Broad Street I have already mentioned, and The Bookshop on Marine Parade by The Cobb. Both lovely bookshops and mentioned on the above website for The Old Books Guide.
Beetroot Books website, a site that specializes in books on gardening and cooking.
Events - An amazing and heart wrenching performance by Leanne Best in The Match Box by Frank McGuinness at the Liverpool Playhouse Studio.
Lets hope the rains dry up a little in July because it hasn't stopped for the last few weeks.
I am also loving being on Twitter (@leah_theoctogon) and am rapidly becoming addicted. Great way to share information, on books or just about anything else.

June Roundup

The famous Liverpool Everyman Theatre closed its doors for a few years while it is being rebuilt and Hope St hosted a whole day of commemorative events on saturday so that the public could say goodbye to the present building, which has played a part in many up and coming careers like Pete Postlethwaite, David Morrissey, Jonathan Pryce, Julie Walters, Bill Nighy among so many others. Slung Low ran the proceedings and gave our present Everyman a good send off. It was a great and very moving day for everyone there.

On to the bookish side of things from June...

Read - 1 and a half books

Completed - Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk

Currently Reading -

The Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy

Watching the English: The hidden rules of English Behaviour by Kate Fox

The English Novel in History 1895-1920 by David Trotter

TBR pile - currently at 102 (according to GoodReads) with 3 more added...

The House at Riverton by Kate Morton

Out of the Woods by Will Cohu

The Passage by Justin Cronin

Challenges - summarised chapters 8 and 9 from The English Novel in History 1895 - 1920, the literary theory book I am reading each month.

Wishlist Additions -

The Upright Piano Player by David Abbott

The Astral by Kate Christensen

The Reservoir by John Milliken Thompson

Don't Breathe A Word by Jennifer McMahon

The Hardy Tree by Iphigenia Baal

Discoveries - The Taxi of Knowledge initiative that is taking place in Cairo. Read about the taxis that are carrying books in them for passengers to read.

Events - The Everyman Theatre Finale

On that note, we move onward through July...

June Roundup

After having a great weekend last week in Shropshire and seeing Othello at Ludlow Castle as part of the Ludlow Festival, this logo seemed a good place to start.

Read - 1 and a half books

Completed - 1 book...The Girls by Lori Lansens

Currently Reading - The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

TBR Pile - No books added so the pile is at 80 books (according to Good Reads).

Challenges - My current book by Bulgakov complies with my personal goal to 'Read another Russian' this year.

Wishlist Additions -

The Natural Navigator by Tristan Gooley

The Passage by Justin Cronin

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

Kings of the Earth by Jon Chich

What is left the daughter by Howard Norman

The Unit by Nimmi Holquist

Pray for Silence by Linda Castillo

Discoveries - The Ludlow Festival

Events - Othello at Ludlow Castle, really good production on a summers eve in Shropshire. Would love to go again and will be keeping an eye on the program for next year. I love outdoor theatre!

Now preparing for our Jane Austen holiday at the end of July, and also make progress on The Master and Margarita.

June Roundup

Half way through the year and plenty of hot summer days to come hopefully. Nothing like lying on the grass surrounded by Daisies.

There has been plenty to keep me occupied in June, which included a week in Sivota in Greece with friends, which was very hot, pretty and relaxing, and plenty of time to read.

Here is my June reading roundup...

Read - 3 and a half books

Completed -

The Woman in Black by Susan Hill

Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks

The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry

Currently Reading - The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

TBR Pile - 5 added, now at 61

The Zahir by Paulo Coelho

The Vintners Luck by Elizabeth Knox

The Girls by Lori Lansens

Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon

Ship Fever by Andrea Barrett

Challenges - Completed #11 of the 2009 Mini Challenges to read a book that is out of your comfort zone. I read The Woman in Black for that one.

Also on my way to completing #4, to read 2 essays from the same collection. Using an old unread course book on Modern Literary Theory that I had, I have read and blogged about an essay by Helene Cixous, and have read and will soon be blogging about an essay by Edward Said.

Wishlist Additions -

The Angels Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Brodeck by Phillipe Claudel

The End of the World as we know it: Scenes from a Life by Robert Goolrick

The Little Country by Charles de Lint

Discoveries - 3 new interesting websites...

Readiac

IndieBound

Today in Literature

Events -

My holiday in Greece where I read lots of books in the sun by the sea.

We had another bookswap in work on friday, for staff to stock up on their summer reading. There were probably about 40 - 45 books and only 11 left at the end, so another successful swap. I got 2 new books...the Michael Chabon and the Andrea Barrett.

Let us see where July takes us...