WHERE and WHAT (a general update)

This title, of course, means WHERE have I been and WHAT have I been doing? Two questions I shall answer in short order.

I have been in London. Simply in London. No travels - more's the pity - trying (and failing) to conserve all of my hard won pennies. And I have been knitting and reading and (wait for it...) writing! These are three things that, for the most part, I cannot do at the same time. Once again, more's the pity.

Since the last knitting update, I finished a cute pair of socks for my sister and an even cuter pair of socks for myself. Sorry, sister, this is what results of my art maturing. I'm proud of both of them and I figured out the lace patterns for them on the fly.* Now I'm in a bit of a knittery rut. The next person on my list is my sister's old housemate - close enough that she is pretty much like another sister to us all. And what she has asked for is either a onesie or a dress. New knitting policy** dictates that she can have neither of these things at the current moment and so what she is getting is... a pair of socks! Sadly, I don't think she'll particularly want cute socks, so I'm trying to figure out trainer socks instead. Of course, the sensible thing to do would be to scour the internet for helpful patterns, but I want to give it a good shot on my own, first. Yes, I've put myself in for more frogging, more finger ache. But I still love every second of it.

Next up, reading. I have read three books and three books only since the last update. A children's book (You're a Bad Man, Mr Gum) which I have never mentioned before and may never mention again; the collection of Tove Jansson short stories that my boyfriend gave to me and Odinsbarn. Reser med lätt bagage (Travelling Light)was gorgeous, as is to be expected. But I definitely preferred Sommarboken. Reser med lätt bagage was a bit more melancholy and a bit less hopeful, and it weighed me down somewhat. That being said, I particularly loved 'Främmande stad' ('Strange town'), 'Skogen' ('The forest') and 'Växthuset' ('The greenhouse'). The book became top priority so that I could lend it on to a friend. And then, Odinsbarn. Odinsbarn, Odinsbarn, Odinsbarn. I won't go into to details here, because this book will be getting it's own post. But I absolutely loved and adored it, and I am gutted that I will likely be unable to get my hands on the second book in the series before the end of next month. Please excuse me while I sob.

Finally, the writing. July was camp NaNo, and during that month I did the writing. I didn't reach the target of 10,000 words, but I never expected to. That was simply the lowest target available. However I did write a good 5900-something words. In Swedish. That is the longest single thing I have written in Swedish to date, and I am quite proud of myself. It's a story about goddesses who don't know that they're goddesses and it also contains deserts and rain-forests. Excerpts may be posted on Kaffee und Kuchen, but that depends on me getting them corrected and then on my translating them. There will be a lot of planning to be done for this story, although I advise you not to hold your breath for that here or on K&K - the story refuses to be planned at current, because it is insisting that I write it first.

My Currently Reading List of Doom is down to only 18 books! This feels fantastic! I'm not quite sure what to do next. Do I give in to the temptations of one of the many as-yet-unstarted books, or do I continue cutting down? Choices, choices...

Happy reading, happy knitting!
Little Newman

*Something I think I will NEVER do again. A nightmare of frogging and sore fingers at ridiculous times, such as two am or three minutes before a hospital appointment.
**Every second make will be for myself. Next up is a hat, or maybe some mittens...

March and April wrap-ups are missing and, because I am that kind of person, they will stay that way. They already feel too far behind. I read seven books during those two months. I also started and decided to give up on an eighth, Cosmo Cosmolino by Helen Garner. The writing was gorgeous, peppered with gems, but the characters didn't sit well with me at all, and so I've retired it for now. I may pick it up again, but I may just leave it by the wayside, for some other casual peruser of my bookshelves to fall into, and let it never again be seen by me.

I am currently reading a lot of books, none of which are in English. I'm finally making good progress with Cornelia Funke's Tintenherz, which is great. I'm not quite sure when it happened, but it felt like whatever was blocking my comprehension finally gave way and so now I don't dread having to pick it up again. I am also reading Eld. I'd been putting it off, because I didn't have the third book and I didn't want to have to wait too long before being able to finish the series. But I started anyway, a couple of weeks ago, and this weekend I found the third book, Nyckeln, just sitting on the shelf in Foyles. Yay! So now there is nothing stopping me from plowing my way through to the end of the book... except that I accidentally read it already and spoilered myself. Oh, dear.

On that same trip to Foyles, I also picked up Odinsbarn by Siri Pettersen in Swedish translation. I had seen it everywhere during my last visit but decided not to buy it because... well, I don't really know why. At any rate, my decision cost me dearly. I had to special order it, and only the hardback was available. It is gorgeous though, and really interesting, two things which go a long, long way to making me feel better about the price.

Of these three, two are group reads (Tintenherz and Odinsbarn). Eld is the only one I've been reading alone, and so it's the first I'll finish. I anticipate finishing it next week or the week after, although I may go the way of Cirkeln with it and end up reading three parts in something like two days. Who knows, who knows?

All of this foreign language reading is making me really anxious to read something in English. I'm not really feeling much like picking up one of my 'currently reading' books, although I really want to. I'm tempted to make a choice of one of the many new books I've gotten this year, instead. Don't try this at home is asserting itself as a sensible choice, above the others, but I'm still hesitant. I started Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons last night, and wasn't completely convinced. I could see how it might start to wear a little thin on me after a while.


In non-reading-but-certainly-bookish news, I have started volunteering with an Oxfam bookshop. I've only done three shifts, but I'm loving it already. It's a good thing I have no money left, or I would have spent it all in there. As it stands, I've already bought three or four books from there. I also found a gorgeous edition of Alice in Wonderland as illustrated by Mervyn Peake. It would look great on my shelves, next to all the others*

At the end of this week, I'll be going to France where I hope to spend what little money I have remaining on a copy of Terrienne by Jean-Claude Mourlevat. In an ideal world, I'd also get my hands on Martin Page's Je suis un dragon which we all know I've been wanting since the start of time**, but so it goes, sometimes. I feel like I'd enjoy Terrienne more. Let's hope it lives up to expectations (if I manage to buy it at all).

Finally, the last great love of my life... knitting! I've been knitting my aunt a pair of socks since I finished my own at the start of March. Or rather, I've been knitting my aunt a sock since I finished my own at the start of March. First it was too small in diameter. So, I ripped it all out, and started again. Still too small. Ripped out, started again. Then way too big. Ripped, restarted. Then I realised that I would run out of yarn before I got to the toe. And again... but I finally managed it this weekend, and managed to knit the sock from start to finish in three days. I started yesterday on sock number two, and hoped to have it finished before seeing my aunt tomorrow but that is not looking so likely. Apparently, five days of near-solid knitting causes finger pain like no other. Who knew? I've had to rest my fingers for tonight, but they should be up and rearing to go by tomorrow.

And so I conclude this post. No real wrap up, but I think I got pretty much everything in at any rate.

Happy reading and swift knitting!
Little Newman

P.S.! I also bought and finished reading Daughter of Smoke and Bone last month, after a fashion. I wasn't a huge fan of the Madrigal memories, and it was pretty clear what happened so I skipped that chunk and went back to the present day instead. I don't think I missed anything, but felt I should at least read that bit before reviewing it here.

*That is, if I could get it to fit. My three small shelves are already looking snugly packed, and that doesn't include the seven or so books that make up my bedside 'currently reading' pile...
**Lit. January last year

Review: Ancillary Justice

I've been putting this one off.

How do I get across just how much I loved this book? I've said it so many times recently, the words seem kind of wan. And yet - and yet -

And yet I find myself, four days later, just reliving one moment or another from this book. One sensation or another. A sudden desire to be in the presence of one of the characters. This doesn't happen to me often.

I'll keep it short. Once again, I'm late to the party. This book already won all of the awards, we can all sit down and bask in the glow.

What did I like about this book, you ask? I'll tell you! I liked the voice. It was a voice clearly not human, without being so other that it felt forced. Yes, this was an AI talking, one mind spread across multiple bodies (a ship, it was an entire ship) and yet I didn't feel Leckie trying to force it's inherent AI-ness down my throat. It was just there.

And I liked that this was okay. By which I mean, I liked that this was just okay with One Esk/Breq. Breq didn't have moral dilemma's about her identity, although other characters had plenty enough on her behalf. Breq had her intelligence, and her goal. One step and then the next. This book is so much more than the question of what constitutes a human, although that is a question that is present throughout. The other question, that comes up again and again is: What do you do when you have two options, and neither of them are right?

Again, I don't see Leckie tripping over Breq's tongue to preach to us what we should do. Breq makes choices, and some are more damaging, others are less damaging. An excellent thing about One Esk as a focaliser is that we can see, through One Esk and the Justice of Toren the small and large scale impact.

Just- wow. I could wax on about this all day long, but I wouldn't be waxing lyrical or sense because I genuinely don't quite know how to do this book justice. I can't wait until I get my hands on the next.

This counts for the Mount TBR Challenge.

Review: Sabriel

Well, I'm on a roll! Here I am with yet another finished book - this time, Sabriel by Garth Nix.

I really enjoyed this book, continuing also the roll of books I've loved. There still hasn't been a single book this year that I've felt like I haven't liked. Fingers crossed for a continuation on this theme.

I'm definitely very late to the party with Sabriel, so I'll make this brief. I loved the magic system Nix dreamt up, and I even at one point found myself shaking with pleasure. It is so unusual, and so exquisite. I look forward to reading more, and seeing how the Charter, Necromantic and Free Magics all work and where (if at all) they intersect.

I also loved Sabriel as a character. Nix strikes the perfect balance between weakness and strength with her. What she knows, she knows well, and makes good use of. She is strong willed enough to stand on her own two feet, and wise enough (mostly) to know when she'd do well to lean on someone else's strength or understanding. She is in a tough situation and it shows, but without her being spoilt or bratty or completely selfish. She's amazing!

One of the few things I wasn't really a fan of - perhaps the only thing - was the romance. I found myself laughing so that I didn't have to roll my eyes. They didn't feel wrong as a couple, necessarily, but the entire thing felt a bit closer to insta-love than I would expect. I'm fairly sure that it's been proven that two people who experience a trial together are more likely to experience romantic feelings for each other, and it seems like all of YA is based on this theory. BUT. Spare me the sop bucket, please! The spontaneous kisses between Sabriel and Touchstone felt somewhat out of character, the crying from Sabriel when she thinks that Touchstone is canoodling and more with a maid brought to rise the desire to whack her one. I like that Sabriel understands that part of her attraction to him is because he is literally the first eligible male she has met ever. And I also like that Touchstone's declaration of love everlasting* takes very much into account the fact that Sabriel might not want that. But yeah. Maybe this is just me nitpicking.

This book counts for the Mount TBR challenge (and finishing it also takes me down to only 26 'Currently Reading' books, yay!)

Happy Reading,
Little Newman

*Okay, I exaggerate vastly.

Review: Oliver VII

It feels strange to be writing yet another review so soon! If I wake up tomorrow to find the sky beneath my feet I won't be surprised.

I wondered, briefly, whether I should hold this review off a little and make a lit corner of it as it doesn't suit the needs of any of my challenges (more's the pity), but then I decided to plough on ahead. After all, I don't know when next I'll read a book that doesn't satisfy a single one of the challenges I have undertaken. As a concession to my desire to label this post as a lit corner, I'll add in a little section about other books I have read this year which have not made it to the blog, and also a more general update on what I'm reading just now.

So, now that that's all over with...

Oliver VII by Antal Szerb.

I started reading this book last year, as I mentioned in a previous post. In the same post I said that I looked forward to diving back in, and dive I did. Oliver VII follows the eponymous hero: a king who finds himself in the somewhat unusual position of playing himself in a confidence trick.

Oliver, alias Oscar, secretly heads a coup against himself and escapes his fictional country of Alturia for Venice, neatly skipping out on an unfavourable deal to save the Alturian finances and a marriage to the pretty but naive Princess Ortrud.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It is thoroughly lighthearted and, as translator Len Rix writes in his afterword, does not contain a harsh word. I only found while reading the last quarter of the book that Szerb wrote this only two years before his death in a labour camp. Nothing in the book points to the persecution that Szerb faced and yet somehow this doesn't surprise me. I am not sure why, but somewhere I feel that perhaps that is how I might respond in a similar situation - maybe it is escapism, but I like to think that it is something else that drives the light hearted and extremely playful tone of this book.

I would like to take a moment to comment on my copy of the book. It is published by Pushkin Press, and obvious thought and dedication has gone into the feel of the book. The end page states that it is 'designed to be as satisfying as possible to hold and to enjoy' and they have not missed their mark at all. Somewhat smaller than average book size and printed on weighty paper with a gently textured cover, this book definitely pleased the girl who took great pains to write only on 80gsm paper for five years of her life. I feel it is only right to point out that this book is a pleasure in as many ways as can be imagined.

--

Now onto the other books. I finished Stolthet och fördom (Pride and Prejudice) and naturally enjoyed it. It was a very quick read for me, as I know the story so well. I had previously tried reading the older translation available on Wiki commons, and found it didn't work for me. This newer translation from Gun-Britt Sundström, published by Albert Bonniers förlag was much more readable for me.

The second finished but unreviewed item is Kamisama Kiss vol. I, read in German. Again, this is a case where I was already familiar with the story. Also, it being a manga was a plus: less text, easier themes. I was still very much impressed with myself. I think I would like to continue buying the following volumes in German.

Finally, the 'Currently Reading List of Doom'. I am trying so desperately not to add another book onto the end of it! I absolutely have to get it down under twenty five before I pick up a new book. I'm closing in on this rather pathetic goal - finishing Oliver VII struck one book off, and I am making fairly good progress with Sabriel by Garth Nix, too. Less actively, I'm still making my way through Tintenherz with the read-along group I set up. Actually, I am very behind, but I am trying. I have also recently picked up Resa med lätt bagage (Travelling with light baggage) by Tove Jansson. This is another short story collection, but I am only intending to read one a weak. Kappan och Näsan (The Cloak and The Nose) by Gogol is also waiting patiently for me to return to it. But I don't think any of these will follow Sabriel in the order of which books I'll finish next. I'm thinking it'll be Ancilliary Justice but who knows when I'll pull a crazy stunt and find myself on the good end of Darkmans instead?

This has been a fairly long post, so I'll stop myself here.

Happy Reading,
Little Newman

Review: Bone Jack

This review was meant to be written and posted last week. Unfortunately, I became unexpectedly busy, and so I'm only just writing it up now.

Bone Jack by Sara Crowe is about Ash, a fifteen year old boy whose father is a soldier who has come home a very changed man, and his ex-best friend Mark whose father killed himself. Ghosts from the land's past and the mythology of the area are part of the fabric of the book, and the reason why I was so desperate to buy it in the first place.

It was a fabulous book. It had been on my 'to remember' list for a long time - Goodreads reliably informs me that is has only been two years, which really isn't so long. I was so happy when I finally put my pennies together to buy it that I read about five chapters before I finished the bus journey home.

Why, then, did it take me four months to read? The answer to this is simple, and fairly ridiculous. It felt like I was moving too fast. Definitely not my normal problem. When I finally finished and managed to get over my ecstasies just enough to recommend it to a friend, I told her that I wasn't really sure what age group the book is aimed at. The main characters are in the 14-16 range, and the book is dark enough to delight someone who was reading a Swedish book about witches at the same time* but the ease with which I read it made it feel like it was targeted towards a younger audience. Sure enough, on the author's blog I found reviews from a few 12 and 13 year olds. This is by no means an issue - it just felt like I wasn't giving the book time and space to do it justice. So, I decided to slow down.

I'm glad I made this decision. It made me enjoy the book that much more. I would have loved it if I had swallowed it down in a couple of days, as I was probably on track to do, but I would have perhaps missed some of the richness. Crowe's writing is a real treat. She manages to create a miasma** of fear, of constantly looking over one's shoulder, of chills down one's spine when unbearable heat gives over to the feeling that something is not quite right. The atmosphere of much of the book is neatly summed up by this sentence: 'Ash gazed back through a haze of pain and smoke and blood and terror.'

I loved everything about this book. It's about family, and friendship and fear and human sacrifice. What more could I want?

This book counts towards the Mount TBR challenge.

Happy Reading!
Little Newman

*And we all know that they do Dark in the North.
**Fact: 'miasma' is a Greek word that refers to a malevolent power that causes catastrophe until the original wrongdoer is sacrificed. No spoilers from me, but that is a strikingly relevant word.

Book Haul part two

Remember when I talked about my Germany book haul that I would finish another time? Well, now is that other time.

My friend visited this past weekend and carried back the remaining ten books that I couldn't bring back last time. This is clearly evidence of true love - TEN BOOKS!

Of course we had to do a bit more book shopping while she was here, in order to fill the gaping void in her bag, and so I picked up a few more books there, too.

So, without further ado...

The first book on my shelves is Momo by Michael Ende. It is on my list, but it has been taking second place to Die unendliche Geschichte. Looking at them both, however, I may as well just start with Momo, instead. It's shorter and may well be easier, too. However, they can both wait until I've brought myself through Tintenherz. Momo is about the fight of the young girl by that name to stop the grey 'time thieves'.

Next comes Trix Solier: Zauberlehrling voller fehl und adel (Trix Solier: Sorcery apprenticeship full of error and nobility) by Sergei Lukyanenko of Night Watch fame. I read the first half of The Night Watch, and really enjoyed it, but the second half threw me a bit. The poor book's case wasn't much helped by the poor editing in the edition that I have. I'm hoping that this book will keep a hold of me all the way through. 

Next comes a series of three books. They are together Das geheimnis des Herbstlandes (The Secret of the land of Autumn) trilogy by Herbert Osenger. I picked them up on a whim at the book market. I'm really not sure what to expect from them, but I hope that I'll be pleasantly surprised. They have a secret world type thing going on, which anyone who knows me knows that I love. The first book is called Haus der Türen (House of Doors). Lisa is just looking for her house key but ends up on a long journey to unlock the secret of the autumn lands...

Das Magische Messer by Phillip Pullman follows. I think The Subtle Knife was my favourite of the three books. As said, I love it when someone from one world finds that they've slipped or otherwise travelled into another, so naturally I loved all that happens here.

Then comes Schlachthof 5 oder Der Kinderkreuzzug (Slaughterhouse 5) by Kurt Vonnegut. I read it and loved it in English, and so I couldn't resist when I saw it in the book market.

Then is a bilingual French-German edition of Comment on se marie et comment on se meurt (How we marry and how we die) by Zola. I don't think I've ever experienced any particular desire to read Zola before, but I may well surprise myself. At any rate, it's a fairly slim volume, so if I am not surprised, and least it won't last long. I'm afraid to say that you'll all have to do without a picture of this handsome edition.

Bringing up the rear are two volumes of a manga I really like and have already read in English, Kamisama Kiss by Julia Suzuki which translates to something like 'Goddess Kiss'. It's a fun number about a girl who moves into a temple when her fathers debts mean she can no longer live at home. It's fun, silly, and not very realistic, which is precisely what I like from a manga.







So, those are the books my friend was kind enough to lug around for me for over five hours. Next comes new acquisitions and a borrowed book.

The first was Don't try this at home, a collection of short stories by Angela Readman, published by & Other Stories. I've wanted this book for a while, but have had trouble finding it in bookshops. I put off ordering it online mainly because my shelves are already crammed full of books that I have yet to read. But when I saw it while browsing, I simply couldn't resist and so picked it up and only barely managed to let go long enough for the cashier to scan it. I haven't yet started (see the aforementions shelves crammed full of books; also, my obscenely long 'Currently Reading list). However, as I type this my cousin is sitting next to me, the book open and completely absorbed. I'm taking this as a sign of excellent things to come.

Then, still clutching hold of the above, I came across the holy grail. Of course I mean the edition of Alice in Wonderland as illustrated by Tove Jansson, published by the Tate. Being something of a traditionalist at heart, I am very sceptical of editions of Alice without Tenniel illustrations. Naturally, I have seen certain, non-Tenniel illustrators do amazing things but I've seen others create illustrations that feel like nails clawing across the chalkboard of my delicate soul. Jansson is an exception. I'm almost entirely convinced that everything she touched turned to gold. Or, you know, something close enough that I can't tell the difference.

On the same day, I managed to dig out and purchase Oliver VII by Antal Szerb, published in translation by Pushkin Press. I started reading this sometime last year, but couldn't get my hands on my very own copy, so had to stop a third of the way through. It's extremely absurd and quite funny, so I'm looking forward to diving back in with it.

Finally, I bought my cousin The Girl with All the Gifts by M. R. Carey for her birthday, on the condition that she lend it to me as soon as she was finished. I'm nothing, if not generous. This book has been on my 'To Read' list for so long that I have more than once forgotten that it's there. But now it's on my 'To Read' shelf, which is definitely a step. Not necessarily a step up, but a step nonetheless. I was unable to stop myself reading the first few pages when my cousin handed it over to me, but I can't make my mind up on them yet. I'm sure it'll worm its way on to my currently reading list fairly soon, despite my noble intentions to try and get the number of books there under 25 before adding anything more...

This has been a long post, and it has taken me a few hours to write. I could happily toddle off for another month or so, but I have yet another book review coming your way, and I should hopefully get it out within the week. So I'll be back!

Happy reading,
Little Newman

Recension: Cirkeln | Review: The Circle

Jag läste klart Cirkeln av Mats Strandberg och Sara Bergmark Elfgren förra veckan. Vilken bok! Jag kände en hel massor olika känslor när jag slutade boken och förste kunde jag inte samla tankarna för att skriva en recension. Jag är faktiskt inte helt säker på att jag kan göra det nu, men jag ska försöka.

I finished reading The Circle by Mats Strandberg and Sara Bergmak Elfgren last week. What a book! I felt a whole heap of different feelings when I finished the book and at first I couldn't gather my thoughts enough to write a review. I am not completely sure that I can do it now, but I'll try.

Jag tyckte om denna bok. Huvudpersonerna var intressanta, och det var även deras magi. Det kan vara svårt att skriva sex olika personer med olika personligheter, men jag tyckte att författarna klarade det ganska bra. Det enda jag skulle säga är att Minoo reagerade konstigt vid några tillfällen. Hennes känslor var svåra att förstå – vilket påpekades av Vanessa och Linnéa. Trots deras uppfattning, som visar att författarna var medvetna om denna aspekt av hennes karaktär, tyckte jag att beteendet var överdrivet och det störde min uppfattning av henne och min upplevelse av boken.

I liked this book. The main characters were interesting, as was their magic. It can be difficult to write six different characters with different personalities, but I thought that the authors managed it fairly well. The only thing I would say on that count is that Minoo reacted strangely on some occasions. Her feelings were difficult to follow - which is pointed out by Vanessa and Linnéa. Despite their realisation, which shows that the authors were aware of this aspect of her character, I thought that it was overemphasised and it disturbed my understanding of her as well as my experience of the book.

Jag tyckte om mysteriet. Jag hade en aning om vem mördaren var men jag var inte missnöjd när det avslöjades. Ledtrådarna fanns, men det fanns en del osäkerhet också.

I liked the mystery. I had an idea who the murderer was but I wasn't disappointed when it was revealed. There were clues, but there was also a whole lot of uncertainty.

Magin i boken var intressant och jag ser fram emot att ta reda på hur den fungerar mer i detalj. Jag vill också gärna se Idas tankar i den andra boken. Jag är övertygad om att det finns en anledning till att hennes perspektiv inte hörs i Cirkeln. Hon är säkert inte en särskilt sympatiskt figur men jag tror att hon komma att visa sig som intressant.

The magic in the book was interesting, and I look forward to finding out how it works in  more detail. I would also really like to see Ida's thoughts in the second book. I am convinced that there is a reason why her perspective isn't seen in The Circle. She is certainly not a particularly sympathetic figure but I think she will prove to be interesting.

Vad gäller språk tyckte jag att denna bok var bra för min nivå. Den var inte lika enkel som Stolthet och fördom eller Mio, min Mio, men den är mycket enklare än Låt den rätte komma in, som jag har försökte läsa under de senaste tre år.

In terms of the language, I thought this book was good for my level. It wasn't as easy as Pride and Prejudice or Mio, my Son, but it is much easier than Let the Right One In, which I have been trying to read for the past three years.

This book counts for Sweden for the European Reading Challenge.

Review: The Cyberiad

I loved this. Never before have I so fervently wished that I could speak Polish - and I've been tempted by Polish many a time before. These stories are incredibly playful, but also incredibly critical of the many pitfalls of human ideologies and mindsets. Michael Kandel did an amazing job translating this - providing a hilarious and engaging translation. I will have to seek out more things that he has done (even just essays or editorials).

However, I felt that this collection of stories did have its pitfalls. Some stories dragged a bit. I'm thinking here, mostly, of 'The Tale of the Three Storytelling Machines of King Genius', but all of the last stories fell a bit flat with me after the sheer wonder of the Sallies. In addition to this, some elements included as givens felt odd in a world of robots - the approach to death being one, the extremely patriarchal society being another. This last is somewhat understandable, given the stories' own explanations of how robot society came about.

All in all, though, this was an incredibly fun read, with three stories that particularly stood out for me being the two first Sallies and the third Sally

This counts as Poland for the European Reading Challenge. It is also included in the Mount TBR challenge (my first book!) and the Books in Translation Challenge.

February Wrap Up: Knitting and Travel

This month has been a month of many books, but little reading. As my last post says, I bought a lot of books in Germany, and continued the trend on my trip to Sweden, from which I returned a couple of days ago. While there, I bought four books and my boyfriend gave me a fifth. The books are: Jane Eyre in Swedish translation, 'The Cape' and 'The Nose' by Gogol (also in Swedish translation), Udda Verklighet, by Nene Ormes and Eld, the second book in the Engelfors trilogy by Mats Strandberg and Sara Bergmark Elfgren, to follow on from the first book which I bought earlier on in the month.

But, no finishing of books has been done. I've read a fair bit, mostly from Cirkeln, which is the first book of the trilogy, and also a LOT of The Cyberiad which continues to be an absolute joy. I have also torn my way through a few Enid Blyton school stories, but I can't count that in good faith.

My fingers have been otherwise occupied. I wanted to finish the second sock I started knitting, but then decided I would rather finish the scarf I've been making since October. Sadly, it is still not finished, although I very well may finish it today. The scarf was far to big to take with me to Sweden, unless I wore it, and I somehow doubt that airport security would be okay with me wondering around with two massive needles attached to my neck. So, I brought the second sock with me instead... only to run out of yarn just before I finished the toe! I set those socks aside, and started on a pair that I promised my aunt. I had managed to misplace my slightly larger double pointed needles JUST before packing them, and still haven't managed to find them, so there I sat trying to knit aran on 2.5mm needles. This didn't go so well. I got a few inches in before realising the sock would be too small, even for me, and I had to rip it out and start all over again. I've gotten a bit further, but I believe the sock will still be too small, so I've put it on hold until I see my aunt again and can measure it against her. Hopefully it goes well. So, I've done a big circle, back to the everlasting scarf again.

I have no travel plans for this month, having blown my budget last month. It would be nice to make it to visit some friends around the UK, but sadly not likely. That gives me much more time for finishing my current knitting projects and starting at least one more (socks for my sister - I'm addicted!), more time for reading and more time for language study. I managed to read 100 pages of The Cyberiad last month - I realised about two weeks in that hoping to finish it was too ambitious, even for my overly ambitious self. I've got a little over 120 pages more to go, so maybe I'll be able to get through that in those two extra days that March brings. Otherwise, I should finish Cirkeln and start a new Swedish book (probably Reser med lätt bagage by Tove Jansson - the book from my boyfriend). I'll also try Je voudrais que quelqu'un m'attendais quelquepart by Anna Gavalda again, although I'm not holding my breath. When I'm done with The Cyberiad, I'll read a bit more of Bone Jack, and maybe start one of the many other English books on my bookshelves, waiting to be read.

Germany & Book Haul!

This title gives the impression that these two things are separate. Really, they are one and the same. I went to Germany to visit a friend, and timed my visit to fall on the first Sunday of the month which is when a used book market is held in a town near her home.

My visit, at four nights in total, felt far too short. Also, it was apparently carnival time in the region. If I had know before hand, I would have definitely bought a fancy dress costume with me. Dressing up and drinking? Count me in!

But, enough of that. Lets talk about books!

My total number of books bought and received on this visit was... well, it was certainly more than I could fit in my ryanair restricted hand luggage! Especially considering I made the mistake of bringing four of my currently reading books with me*.

I managed to bring back seven books, which will be the ones I talk about. The ten or eleven I left behind will have to be the talk of another time.

Having recently lived the surprisingly exciting and empowering experience of reading Pride and Prejudice in Swedish, I bought the German translation, Stolz und Vorurteil. My German is nowhere near as good as my Swedish, but I know the story so well that it's like having a pop-up dictionary in my head. I've decided to make it a tandem read with another friend, and so we'll aim to read two chapters per week. However, she's already on chapter five, so I'll have to catch up with her first.

Next is Frostfeuer (Frost Fire**) by Kai Meyer. This book has been sitting on my 'to read' list for a while now, and as my friend had a copy, she lent it to me. I... am in all honestly, no longer sure what this book is about, which is a little embarrassing, if I'm honest. But, the blurb mentions a magic duel and a snow queen, and the writing generally makes me happy. Also, the cover has a lot of blue on it, which is nice. I probably shouldn't start reading this anytime soon, but that's never stopped me before. After all, I've only got 28 other books to work my way through!

Next on my shelves are the first, third and fourth books from the Pucki series by Magda Trott. These were purchased at the book fair for two euros each. They are in great condition, although they are obviously well aged. They remind me of my childhood favourites: the Little Women series and the What Katy Dids. The series is quite long running, and there were three other books at the market, but I wasn't much interesting in Pucki the happy bride, or Pucki the housewife or even Pucki and her three young boys - although I'm thinking I may regret my decision if that last is anything like Jo's Boys. I intend to make my way through these at some point, but they're quite old so I'm a bit wary of the difficulty.

The sixth and seventh books are also book market purchases. The sixth is a gorgeously bound book of poems. I'll be honest: I bought this books based on the cover, the fact that it is printed in that wonderful old German typeface and the fact that it contains a poem called 'Fieberträume' which, if I'm not mistaken, translates to 'Fever dreams'. For the interested, it is called Dreizenlinden by F. W. Weber. The title seems to mean 'Thirteen Lindens', and I would chance a guess and say that the poems are at least loosely religious. From my flick through, it doesn't seem to be completely opaque, which is always a plus. It was also only four euros. How could I pass it by?

The seventh and final book for this post is Die schönsten Märchen aus aller Welt, a collection of folk tales from all over the world. The majority of the tales are unlabled, and so can be assumed to be European. However, there are also tales from the Americas (one apiece), quite a few from Asia, and some from Africa. There is also one Inuit tale. I'll make my way through this fairly slowly, as I am to be taking part in a challenge to read one short story or tale per week, and I am woefully behind as I decided neither the stories from Sommarboken or The Cyberiad count. This'll do me until I buy Låt den gamla drömmarna dö by John Ajvide Lindqvist.

This has been a rather long post, but before I sign off I'd like to share the fact that while in Germany, I started knitting a sock, which I finished yesterday (Thursday) morning. Go me!

I've never knitted a sock before, or anything in the round, so I'm pretty proud of myself. This was definitely a learning process. Of course, it's only one sock. As soon as my fingers have recovered enough from five days of almost straight knitting on teeny tiny needles, I'll start the second one :D

Happy blogging, all
Little Newman

*For the interested, those four books are: Bone Jack by Sarah Crowe, The Cyberiad by Stanislaw Lem, Die unendliche Geschichte by Michael Ende and Tintenherz by Cornelia Funke. Bone Jack is the only one I see myself finishing this month, contrary to previous expectation, which also included The Cyberiad in that projection.

**The return of the extremely liberal translations... consider yourself warned!

January Wrap Up: Reading and Languages

As the title suggest, this January has been a mix of two things, and two things only. I have read much, and I have done a lot of language study... which most of the time has meant reading more and watching a cookery video or a quiz show every now and again. Who says learning languages isn't fun?

The two books that I reviewed are the only two that I finished this month: Sommarboken by Tove Jansson and Mio, min Mio by Astrid Lindgren. They were fantastic books, and I am pretty sure that they are widely translated, so I really recommend them.

Otherwise I have been slowly reading my way through Bone Jack by Sarah Crowe and The Cyberiad by Stanislaw Lem in English. These are both very great, very different books. Bone Jack feels like it straddles the border of middle grade and young adult fiction, a very dark coming of age story. I've been wanting to read it for a very long time, and it is not disappointing me thus far. The only problem is that I feel as though I have to draw it out. It would be so easy to gobble it up all in one sitting, but then I'd be finished and I don't think I'd be doing the book justice. The Cyberiad is wonderful - very silly, and very entertaining. A goodreads reviewer said that they wished they spoke Polish to enjoy all that word play in the original and I thought: 'Well, Polish has been on my hitlist for a while, now...'   But don't worry. I'm holding myself back.*

My foreign language 'currently reading' includes Pride and Prejudice, which I am racing through in Swedish translation, Tintenherz, which I am reading with the German Bookclub on A Language Learners Forum and Die unendliche Geschichte, which I am supposedly tandem reading with a friend. We are not so good at keeping on schedule. I am also intensively rereading through Kaninhjärta on ReadLang. I don't know why it didn't occur to me to read it on ReadLang before, but it has now, at the very least.

I guess that here is as good a place as any to put reading goals for February, so...

I hope that, by the end of February, I have finished reading both Bone Jack and The Cyberiad. I am still not sure what should be my next book. If I work through my bookshelf, the next thing should be Darkmans, which remains unfinished despite all of my good intentions. Otherwise, there are thousands** of books clamouring for my attention.

For the foreign language reads, I have no particularly ambitious goals, beyond finishing Stolthet och fördom, which will probably happen this week, and catching up with myself in my read-through of Kaninhjärta. I would also like to get back up to speed with Die unendliche Geschichte, and keep up to speed with Tintenherz. As I am going to both Sweden and Germany this month, I would like to buy at least one new book in both languages. But more on that later.

Happy Reading!
Little Newman

*For now.
**Exaggeration.

Recension: Sommarboken | Review: The Summer Book

Jag har läst färdigt Sommarboken av Tove Jansson under veckan och jag tyckte att den var fantastiskt. Hennes sätt att skriva är magiskt: boken och orden förvandlade världen omkring mig till den lilla ö där Sophia, farmorn och pappan tillbringar somrarna. Jag kunde höra allt de hörde, jag kunde se vad de såg och luften i mitt rum började nästan lukta salt och hav.

I finished reading The Summer Book by Tove Jansson during the week, and I thought it was fantastic. Her writing style is magical: the book and the words transformed the world around me into the little island where Sophia and Grandmother and Father spend their summers. I could hear everything they heard, I could see what they saw and the air in my room began to almost smell like salt and the sea.


Boken innehåller flera berättelser. De flesta av dem handlar om Sophia och hennes farmor, vad de gjorde och deras samtal. Men naturen tar också stor plats. Så här börjar den första berättelsen:

The book contains several stories. The majority of them are about Sophia and her grandmother, what they did and their conversations. But nature has a big role also. This is how the first story begins:

’Det var en tidig mycket varm morgon i juli och det hade regnat på natten. Det nakna berget ångade men mossan och skrevorna var dränkta av fukt och alla färger hade fördjupats.’

'It was a very warm early morning in July and it had rained over the night. The naked mountain steamed, but the moss and the and the crevices were drenched in moisture and all colours had deepened.'

Området är viktigt. Sophia, farmorn och pappan interagerar lika mycket med området som med varandra – pappan faktiskt verkar interagera med området mer än med sin familj. De interagerar också genom området. De tar promenader eller åker båt tillsammans, de arbetar i trädgården tillsammans, om det verkligen kan kallas för trädgård. Ön känns som en karaktär i sig, tyst men inte så tyst som pappan.

The area is important. Sophia and Grandmother and Father interact as much with each other as with the area - in fact, Father seems to interact more with the area than with his family. They also interact through the area. They take walks, or travel by boat together, they work in the garden together, if it can really be called a garden. The island feels like a character in and of itself, quiet, but not as quiet as Father.

Jag önskar att jag kunde berömma den här boken ännu mer, men mina enkla ord och lovord räcker inte. Så måste jag säger åt er som inte har läst boken än: gör det nu!

I wish that I could sing this book's praises more, but my simple words and commendations aren't enough. So instead I'll say to all who haven't read the book: do it now!

A note: This book is set on an island in the Gulf of Finland, and is written by Fenno-swedish author Tove Jansson. Therefore, for the European reading challenge it counts for Finland, although I read and reviewed it in Swedish.

Mount TBR Reading Challenge

Yes, this will be yet another reading challenge sign up. The Mount TBR Reading Challenge is hosted on My Readers Block, and the goal is to read books from your TBR Pile. Does what it says on the tin.

I'm going to be aiming for the lowest possible 'peak', Pike's Peak. After all, from there the only way is up. This means that I'll be aiming to read at least 12 books from my TBR this year. Wish me luck!

The reviews for my challenge can be found here.

Recension: Mio, min Mio | Review: Mio, my Mio

Mio, min Mio av Astrid Lindgren är en fantastiskt vacker bok. Det är den första bok jag har läst av Astrid Lindgren som inte handlar om Pippi Långstrump, så var jag ganska förvånad. Den var mycket mer lyrisk och ledsen, det som var mycket oväntad. Historien handlar om Bo Vilhelm Olsson, en 9-årige föräldralöst pojke. Han hittar sin far, konungen av Landet i Fjärran, och fick namnet Mio från honom. Som konungens barn måste Mio kampa emot den riddar Kato, en ond varelse som har rövat bort många av Landet i Fjärrans barn.

Mio, my Mio by Astrid Lindgren is an amazingly beautiful book. It is the first non-Pippi Longstocking book I have read by her, and I was quite surprised. This book is much more lyrical and sadder than the Pippi books, which I didn't expect. It's about Bo Vilhelm Olsson, a 9 year old Orphan who becomes Mio when he finds his father, the King of The Faraway Land*. As the child of the King, Mio must fight against the knight Kato, an evil being that has abducted many of the children of The Faraway Land.

Jag hade en känsla av sorg och vemod hela tiden när jag läste denna bok. Till och med när Mio lekte i Landet i Fjärran och berättade om hur trevligt han hade det där kände jag hans sorg. Skrivningen var väldigt enkelt och lätt att förstå, men det bara gjorde sorgen ännu mer klar. Astrid Lindgren var inte alls rädd för att visa mörkret i den här boken, trots att den är en barnbok. Det är ingen förvåning att så många vuxna kunna njuta av den har boken och jag ser verkligen fram emot att läsa Astrid Lindgrens andra böcker, om de är såhär.

I felt a strain of sadness and melanchol throughout this book. I could feel Mio's sadness even when he played in the Faraway Land and recounted what fun he had there. The writing was very simple and easy to understand, but that only made the sadness clearer. Astrid Lindgren wasn't at all afraid of showing darkness in this book, even though it is a children's book. It's no surprise that so many aduts can enjoy this book, and I am really looking forward to reading her other books, if they are like this one.

*My own translation.

Books in translation challenge

So here is the second of the two reading challenges I wanted to join. The books in translation is literally just that - reading books in translated. And, as I love translated literature, and languages,  figure this is a great challenge for me. I'm not really sure how many translated books I currently have to be read, but I figure that for now, I'll aim for 'Bilingual', that is 7-9 books.

The challenge is hosted on The Introverted Reader, where you will find full details.

The reviews for my challenge can be found here.