The Octogon Challenge 2013 - Updates

I am using this post to keep track of my progress through my challenges for 2013. These tasks are not set in stone, but used to help organise and guide my reading throughout the year. Completed challenges are marked in red.

1. Read another classic American novel

2. Find second hand copies of
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte
Under The Greenwood Tree and/or The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy
Persuasion by Jane Austen

3. Read another novel by George Eliot

4. Read a detective mystery
Completed First And Only by Peter Flannery in April 2013

5. Read one or two titles that came from our literary holidays
Completed The Red Tent by Anita Diamant in March 2013 which was my lucky dip prize from our 2010 Jane Austen holiday in Hampshire. It was also recommended by those on the holiday too.
6. Read at least one title acquired in a Book Swap at work
Currently reading The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks, acquired in the 2012 bookswap.

7. Read a book associated with a previous World Book Night event.

8. Read a prizewinner, either Man Booker Prize or Orange prize for literature, or similar.
Completed Eve Green by Susan Fletcher, winner of the 2004 Whitbread Book of the Year (First Novel Award) in April 2013.
Also completed The Gathering by Ann Enright, winner of the 2007 Man Booker Prize, July 2013 .

Previous book reviews at The Octogon - 2011

This map represents all of the countries that I read about during 2011. I call them my literary visits because I went to them in my head while reading the various books during that year. Not as colourful as previous years I have to say, but there were some good books in 2011.

Previous book reviews at The Octogon during 2011 were...

Blindness by Jose Saramago

One Day by David Nicholls
Our Sweet Little Time: a year in haiku by Hamish Ironside
Ox-Tales: Water by various authors
Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
The Distance Between Us by Maggie O'Farrell
The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald
The Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy
Through the Garden Gate by Susan Hill
Through the Kitchen Window by Susan Hill
Tinkers by Paul Harding
Whit by Iain Banks

Looking back and looking forward...

It has been quite a year, ups and downs with a whole 2 months not reading at all, but some great books along the way. I did beat my total books read from last year nevertheless, with 18 books completed in 2012. One of those was a graphic novel and 2 were non-fiction books which is 3 down on last year. The ratio of male and female authors was exactly equal with 9 each, so many more female writers than last year. This is always coincidental however and the sex of the author does not drive what I read. There was one set of short stories all by the same author (Dubliners by James Joyce).

The Nationalities of authors was as follows...
English - 7
USA - 5
Swedish - 2
Irish - 1
Norwegian - 1
Chinese/American - 1
Australian - 1
The genres of the books read during 2012 were as follows...
Modern Fiction - 2
Natural World (non-fiction)- 2
Childrens - 2
Horror/Ghost Story - 1
English Victorian Drama - 1
Dystopian - 1
Semi-autobiographical - 1
Family Biography - 1
Family Drama - 1
Humourous Fiction - 1
Graphic Novel - 1
Thriller - 1
Play/Drama - 1
American History/Wild West - 1
- 2 titles were prizewinners
- 2 titles were known classics
- 4 of the titles were first works by new authors
Favourite Reads during 2012 were...
We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist
The Summer Book by Tove Jansson
All The Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy
Notes From Walnut Tree Farm by Roger Deakin
Oldest and Newest...
Oldest - Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, 1847
Newest - Harry Hop-Pole by Wispy Gorman, Nov 2011
Favourite Cover Design...
I would say the Oxford World Classics edition of Wuthering Heights depicted the mood of the book just right for me. The picture of the desolate moors provided the perfect atmospheric cover.
Unexpected disappointment...
The Lost And Forgotten Languages Of Shanghai by Ruiyan Xu
Favourite Character...
John Grady Cole from All The Pretty Horses. An old fashioned style hero with timeless qualities but still very human.

Challenges for 2012...
My 8 resolutions (and their results in red) were:-

1. To not buy any new books, only acquiring them as gifts, borrowing, or second hand if I have to. This is to get my TBR pile under control and tied in with The TBR Double Dare run by Ready When You Are, C.B.
TBR Double Dare was completed and passed as was the rest of this challenge for the year.
2. To read Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte Completed March 2012

3. To read 1 or 2 titles that came up during our lit hol discussions
Completed The Summer Book by Tove Jansson in April, which came up in our Jane Austen holiday in Hampshire in 2010.
Completed The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad in July, which was my lucky dip title from CS on our Thomas Hardy holiday in Dorset in 2011.

4. To read 3 literary articles and blog about them (Uncompleted)

5. To compare 3 book to film stories
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell (Feb post)
We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver (March post)
The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald (June post)

6. To read at least one dystopia novel
Completed The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist in March 2012

7.To read the Zola I have wanted to read since 2009 (this is the 3rd year it has made it on this list and still uncompleted - sigh)

8.To read another George Eliot if possible (Uncompleted but being transferred to next year)

About the same as last year. As I say, these are guidelines for the year and not set in stone.

There are also the books recommended by my work colleagues which I have marked in red if completed. We only have to read at least one of the 3.
AR - The Dubliners by James Joyce, Seize the Day by Saul Bellow and August: Osage County by Tracy Letts
BD - The Portrait of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, Trick or Treat by Richie Tankersley Cusick and Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer

So how about 2013...
1. Read another classic American novel
2. Find second hand copies of
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte
Under The Greenwood Tree and/or The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy
3. Read another novel by George Eliot
4. Read a detective mystery
5. Read one or two titles that came from our literary holidays
6. Read at least one title acquired in a Book Swap at work
7. Read a book associated with a previous World Book Night event.
8. Read a prizewinner, either Man Booker Prize or Orange prize for literature, or similar.

I would also like to continue not buying any new books and try to beat this years total books read. I will let you know how I get on. There may be the possibility of another literary weekend later in the year but I will need to see how the year pans out.

Wishing you All The Best for 2013 with lots of reading time with some fantastic books.

December Roundup

It has been more like rain in the North West this December than snow, with a few frosty days which were pretty. Cold weather means sitting by the fire with a book though, whenever you get the chance.
Now I am on a roll how did the reading go...
Read - 1 and a half books
Completed - one book, The Organic Year by Patricia Gallimore.
Currently Reading -
The Kite Runner by Khalid Hosseini
Literary Genius edited by Joseph Epstein
TBR Pile - currently at 128 (according to GoodReads) with 7 novels as Christmas gifts added. I also got 3 other books over Christmas...
The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy
Cities of the Plain by Cormac McCarthy
The Thread by Victoria Hislop
Winter in Madrid by C J Sansom
First and Only by Peter Flannery
Common Ground: Around Britain in 30 Writers
Shakespeare Off The Record by Stanley Wells
Dickens Off The Record by Paul Schlicke
RHS Latin For Gardeners by Lorraine Harrison
Challenges - Still haven't bought any new books throughout all of 2012. All of the new books in December were Christmas presents.
Wishlist Additions - just the one...
Gossip from the Forest by Sara Maitland
Discoveries -
I loved the Jim Carrey CGI version of A Christmas Carol which was on TV on Christmas Eve. Wouldn't be Christmas without some form of Scrooge. Went very well with a Festive glass of Port I can tell you.
Events - Apart from Christmas... I did watch the 2011 version of Wuthering Heights on TV last night, having read it earlier this year. It didn't have a great write up and I could see why. Long winded, not really a love story, frustrating characters, cold rather than passionate and endlessly melodramatic, the TV Times said 'unremittingly grim'. Just about everything I thought about the book to be frank. For all of the films frustrations it was exactly how I envisioned the story, a bunch of degenerate, unpleasant people in the middle of nowhere while endlessly blowing a gale on the moors. On that point it was a winner.

2013 is almost upon us, I hope you all have a wonderful New Year!

All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy

This book was bought for me as a present for my birthday, along with another Cormac McCarthy novel. I was familiar with some of the films from this writers novels but this was the first that I had read for myself. I was in the mood for a book that took me to the wild prairies of America and the ranching life.
Book One in The Border Trilogy and set somewhere between the two World Wars (but surprisingly timeless), the story follows John Grady Cole, from Texas, a young and intuitive rancher with a deep love and understanding of horses. He and his friend, Lacey Rawlins set out for Mexico to find ranch work and the life that they love. On the way they pick up a young boy runaway, a decision that changes the course of their adventures and also their future. Encorporating a love story, friendship and stunningly beautiful scenery, this book was called 'One of the Greatest American Novels of this or any time' by The Guardian. So does it live up to this claim?
Coming from a less skillfully written novel before this one it was clear to me within only a few pages that Cormac McCarthy is by far a talent to be celebrated. The first page contained a 'sit up and take notice, in-take of breath' moment, and the writing was deliciously beautiful, in an indulgent, chocolate caramel way. The type of writing that causes involuntary sighs from the reader because of the satisfying beauty of the prose. Some of the passages in this book are some of the most beautifully written paragraphs or sentences that I have ever come across.
This is only four pages in...
'He rode back in the dark. The horse quickened its step.The last of the day's light fanned slowly on the plain behind him and withdrew again down the edges of the world in a cooling blue of shadow and dusk and chill and a few last chitterings of birds sequestered in the dark and wiry brush. He crossed the old trace again and he must turn the pony up onto the plain and homeward but the warriors would ride on in that darkness they'd become, rattling past with their stone-age tools of war in default of all substance and singing softly in blood and longing south across the plains to Mexico.' (p6)
McCarthy's use of repetition also served to validate the prose...
'When the wind was in the north you could hear them, the horses and the breath of horses and the horses' hooves that were shod in rawhide...'
or '...the women and children and women with children at their breasts all of them pledged in blood and redeemable in blood only.'
and I found it provided a rhythm that was comforting. I also liked the maturity of the voice telling the story, an assuring account of human nature that only comes with an experienced eye.
John Grady is the kind of hero we miss from old stories, steadfast, strong, reliable and entirely human. His sense of fairness compliments his passionate nature, for his own life, the woman he loves, his friend and the horses he surrounds himself with. You wouldn't go far wrong with this bloke on your side in an argument. These are men whose senses are heightened and do not spend much time on conversation.
The deceptively girlie title of the book hides the masculine content. This is an often brutal account of life on the land, with very few female characters, and a violent second half that had me holding my breath. Shocking circumstances left me wondering how on earth will they survive, only to lead to more shocking developments.
This is a gorgeous book on so many levels, the descriptions of the landscape and mans relationship with it, working with it and the horses. Also the accounts of friendship, and the determination to survive when others are determined that you will not. It was exciting and moving and a wonderful read.
Highly recommended for anyone wanting to visit a wild west that is about to be lost to machinery and corporate management very soon afterwards. Also for those who love quality writing that enhances sense of place and conveys tangible characters. I can't wait to get my hands on the 2nd novel of The Border Trilogy.
Reading Group Guides have discussion questions on All The Pretty Horses.
To go to Cormac McCarthy's website use the link.

Merry Christmas!

The great Gene Wilder, in his most famous role as Willy Wonka. I first saw Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory when I was about 7 years old and it was shown on TV during the Christmas season. We're talking the 1970's. It was pure magic and I loved it. The chocolate room delighted me and the tunnel scene scared me witless, but it was Gene Wilder who captivated me most. Intriguing, unpredictable, beguiling, I was hooked and watched it many times, as a child and as an adult (now owned on DVD!).
I have seen the Tim Burton version but I found it tried hard to be dark and wierd and didn't quite work. The first version is much more sinister, but also warmer and very funny. Of course the original book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was by Roald Dahl and a teacher in my primary school read us the story over a series of tuesday afternoons. A whole class mesmerised, and the perfect way to keep us all quiet. The joy of a good story.
So here is wishing you all a Merry Christmas with a little Festive Magic thrown in for good measure.

Coming soon... my review of All The Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy.

September, October and November Roundup

I have been missing for a little while, due to lots of reasons, mainly an inability to read for 2 months over the summer. This was mostly down to being hugely distracted after I came back from Italy, although my reading has returned again now, thank goodness. Together with a very slow laptop and generally being busy the habit of blogging fell aside. Sometimes life just happens. I did wonder was this it for my blog? Had it reached its conclusion, and there has been some anxiety over what to do and finding time, but with determined effort, and missing talking about books, I am back again.
So here is the last 3 months in summary...
Read - 6 books
Completed -
All The Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy
Harry Hop-Pole by Wispy Gorman
The Comfort of Strangers by Ian McEwan
The Arrival by Shaun Tan
Notes From Walnut Tree Farm by Roger Deakin
I Was A Rat by Philip Pullman
Currently Reading -
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
The Organic Year by Patricia Gallimore
TBR Pile - currently at 122 (according to GoodReads) with 2 added...
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Shakespeare's Flowers by Jessica Kerr
Challenges -  I still have not bought any new novels in accordance with #1 of this years personal challenges. Both books that are added to the TBR pile were second hand buys.
Wishlist Additions -
The Forgetting Tree by Tatjana Soli
A Winters Night by Valerio Massimo Manfredi
Discoveries -
Decided, during a recent visit to Nottingham, to try and find The Kite Runner in a second hand shop after failing to find a copy in my home towns excellent selection of shops. Visited lots of charity bookshops and expected to find it easily because it feels like one of those books that you see everywhere. This was not the case but led to the discovery of some brilliant Second Hand Bookshops in Nottingham...
Bookwise on Goose Gate- very friendly, nice atmosphere, and an excellent selection of books. This was where I finally found The Kite Runner.
Books And Pieces in the West End Arcade- filled to the brim in a tiny shop as you navigate piles of books on every surface, this is book browsers paradise. The owner looked for the title I wanted on a computer and told me straight away that they didn't have it.
Events -
The Kite Runner is making its European stage debut at the Liverpool Playhouse next summer.

So there it is, 3 months in a nutshell. Amongst the Christmas madness I am looking forward to reviewing the books I have read in that time, and of course I am still on GoodReads.