It's Monday. What are you reading? 21 Feb 2012

It's Monday. What are you Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Journey to outline what you have been reading and what you plan to read this week.


Well hello all you wonderful people. Yes it has been awhile since I've posted a Monday update but wow what a busy couple of months it has been! I have moved house and cities, been overseas to Melbourne and Sydney and attended numerous family occasions. And although things haven't quietened down just yet I am slowly getting my sanity back :)


Since my last update I have read a few books but haven't had a chance to review any of them! But they'll be popping up on here soon I promise. You'll soon see reviews for The Lollipop Shoes (aka The Girl with No Shadow - Joanne Harris), Lucky Man: A Memoir (Michael J Fox) and Valley of the Dolls (Jacqueline Susann).


At the moment I am reading Alhambra (Colin de Silva) but I spotted a cool little bookshop in Sydney last week and after browsing around I couldn't help but pick up A Visit From the Good Squad (Jennifer Egan) and I may not be able to stop myself from switching over to read it.



Now all I need is a bit of time to start checking out some of my favourite book blogs.


P.s if you're interested in the bookshop it's called Oscar and Friends and is located on Crown Street in Surrey Hills. It had such a great selection, one of the best book shops I've found in awhile.

Botswana Time (Will Randall)

Title: Botswana Time

Author: Will Randall

Publication Date: 2005

Publisher: Abacus
Pages: 288

Source: Book club borrowed

Genre: Travel

Goodreads | Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk


Botswana Time follows Randall as he finds himself teaching a class of young children at The River of Life school in Botswana. Full of football antics, school trips and animal encounters it is the perfect kind of read for long summer days.

Surprisingly funny I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style and anecdotes in this little travel novel. The descriptions of Botswana are simply stunning and he helps recreate not just a place but a culture and a way of living that you wouldn't encounter on a tourist bus ride through Africa. He goes into great detail about the kids that he teaches and who they are, their passion for football and travelling around different schools even when they barely win. The little kid who tires easily and has a 'break' and promptly falls asleep during each game is so cute.

It is a fast read and one that is very hard to put down. This isn't his first novel having written books set in India and The Solomon Islands which I would be more than happy to source out and read. Highly recommend.

Read It

Botswana Time by Will Randall

Order from Amazon.com| Amazon.co.uk

January Readalong Update

It is with sad regret that I'm removing myself from the January readalong hosted at Reading Rambo. Unfortunately January has turned into a manic month which is requiring all of my free time and I just can't dedicate myself to a readalong as I would want to and I certainly don't want to do things by halves!

On the upside from this month I've been to Melbourne, I'm off to a wedding this weekend, I'm moving house and cities in less than two weeks (!!!) and it looks like I am all booked in to be in Sydney for the month of February (where I hope to meet my first fellow blogger). So I can tell you right now you won't find a dull moment round here! :)

New Releases - January 2012

Good reads new release for January

NEW RELEASES BY GENRE

fiction

historical fiction

I really like the sound of both The Orphan Master's Son (set in North Korea) and The Flight of Gemma Hardy (a modern day homage to Jane Eyre). A great start to a new year!

Hello 2012!

Image source

Happy New Year my wonderful readers! They do seem to come by so quick! We are a good two weeks into the new year and already so much has happened. I am currently in Melbourne for work which has meant an overseas trip, our car has blown up, we are moving house (and cities) in two weeks and we have two weddings to attend in the near future. And 2012 has only just started! I think this is going to be a busy year.

On the reading side of things I'm really excited to get stuck into a few challenges I have signed up for. It's going to be a big year of the classics and I'm excited about trying out some new genres. I'm already behind in the Norwegian Wood read along in that I haven't even got the book! So I better get onto that as soon as I'm back in my own country. I'm really looking forward to blogging through the year and can't wait to see where 2012 takes me.