The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle

I managed to finish yesterday this huge novel. It was the first of Murakami`s books with which that I experienced some problems. The story is multi-dimensional, including politics and Japanese history-something which was not present in other novels. There are many threads, many characters who on a first sight don`t have anything in common. Sometimes I found it difficult to follow everything and keep it in my head as one whole. Perhaps this book needs a second reading to attain the more subtle meaning and connections. Otherwise, it was an intriguing and satisfying reading, as always with Murakami`s writings.

First wild release for 2006

Today was my first wild release for 2006. The book was "Star of The Sea" by Joseph O` Connor. My husband took a picture of me holding the book before releasing it.

Here is a picture of the book in the wild:

Now with my new digital photo-camera I would like to take pictures of my wild releases but probably it will not be an easy task, especially when releasing at places with many people.

Bookrings and bookrays to start 2006:-))

I decided to clean up a bit my TBR pile and let some books travel before their turn to be read by me comes.

UPDATE:

I had participants only for several of my bookrings. I have deleted those who had no
participants and were cancelled.

Here goes the list:

BOOKRINGS

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/2455045/bookmaniac70/book_-The-Good-Earth-Pearl-S.-Buck
Participants:
nyassa-ici (UK or France)
------>back to me

The Real Life of Sebastian Knight by Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov
http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/1753131/bookmaniac70/book_-The-Real-Life-of-Sebastian-Knight-Vladimir-Vladimirovich-Nabokov
Participants:
1) okyrhoe (Greece, int.)
2) dospescados (US)
------> back to me


Laughter in the Dark by Vladimir Nabokov
http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/1196566/bookmaniac70/book_-Laughter-in-the-Dark-Vladimir-Nabokov
Participants:
1)safrolistics (UK, Europe only)
2) okyrhoe (Greece, int.)
3)dospescados (US)
-----> back to me


If you are interested in one or more of them, please send a PM (screen name bookmaniac70) with titles, your location and shipping preferences. The rings are international but if there are no European participants for some of them, those rings are going to be cancelled as I`m not able to send overseas anymore (see my profile for details).

Books read in 2006

Here will go the traditional list of all my readings for 2006:-))


1. "The Little Golden Calf" by Ilf and Petrov (excellent)
2. "You Are Not Like Other Mothers" by Angelica Schobsdorff (very good)
3. "The Mermaid Chair" by Sue Monk Kidd (good)
4. "Moon Palace" by Paul Auster (very good)
5. "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles" by Haruki Murakami (in Russian)
6. "The Jane Austen Book Club" by Karen Joy Fawler (average, not bad)
7. "The Queen`s Fool" by Philippa Gregory (very good)
8. "May Contain Nuts" by John O`Farrell (good)
9. "Adrian Mole and Weapons of Mass Destruction" by Sue Townsend (good,very funny)
10. "As Nature Made Him" by John Colapinto (good)
11. "Deep Waters" by Barbara Nadel (very good)
12. "Standing in The Rainbow" by Fannie Flagg (good)
13. "Harem" by Barbara Nadel (good)
14. "Garata na mechtite"(autobiography of Juri Bashmet)
15. "My Name Is Red" by Orhan Pamuk (re-reading, excellent!)
16. "Lyubov i divi krushi" by Kristin Dimitrova
17. "Himalaya" by Michael Palin (very good)
18. "Kafka On The Shore" by Haruki Murakami (great!)
19. "Lila" by Robert Pirsig (re-reading- great!!!)
20. "A Dinner With a Perfect Stranger" by David Gregory (not bad)
21. "Master and Margarita" by Mikhail Bulgakov (orig.edition,re-reading- great,great,great!)
22. "Isgubenite magareta" ot Valeri Stefanov (average)
23. "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke (great!)
24. So Many Books So Little Time by Sara Nelson (average)
25. This Is Not A Novel by Jeniffer Johnston (good)
26. Two Moons by Jennifer Johnston (good)
27. Africa Trek: 14 000 km on foot by Alexandre and Sonia Poussin (interesting)
28. The Names of Things by Susan Brind Morrow (very good)
29. Grace and Truth by Jennifer Johnston (bad)
30. The Diaries of Jane Somers by Doris Lessing (good)
31.Anne Tyler- Searching for Caleb
32.- Patchwork Planet

33.Linn Ulmann- Before You Sleep
34.Walter Buchigani- Tell No One Who You Are
35.Mark Spragg- An Unfinished Life
36.Marry Higgins Clark- Kitchen Privileges
37.Melissa Bank- A Girl`s Guide to Fishing and Hiking
38.Carol Shields- Republic of Love
39.Marina Levitska- A Short History of tractors in Ukranian
40.Orhan Pamuk-Istanbul:Memories of the city
41.Barbara Nadel- Arabesk
42.-Belhazzar`s Daughter
43.-Petrified
44.Zadie Smith- On Beauty
45.Lauren Weisberger- The Devil Wears Prada
46.Kate Moses- Wintering
47.Inkspell by Cornelia Funke
48.Earthly Joys by Philippa Gregory
49.Baltimor by Jelene Lengold
(updated 02/09/2006)
50.Iron&Silk by Mark Salzman
51.Deadly Web by Barbara Nadel
52. Everything is language by Francoise Dolto (bulgarian translation)
(updated 10/20/2006)
53. Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
54.History of Reading by Alberto Manguel
(upd.10/22/2006)
55.Operating Instructions by Anne Lamott
56. How Life Begins by Christopher Vaughan
57. A Million Little Pieces by James Frey
58. Mozart`s Last Year by Robbins Landon
(upd.14/11)
59. Mea Culpa by Anne Holt
60. Everyone Who Is Known by Lauren Weinsberger
61. In Her Shoes by Jane Weiner
62. Death in Venice by Thomas Mann
(updated 07/12/2006)
63, Africa Trek-2- Alexandre and Sonia Poussin
64.The White Masai- by Corine Hoffman
65. Ин@родный артист -by Gidon Kremer (in Russian)
(29/12/2006)

Start of Reading 2006

I met the beginning of 2006 with two books in hand: "The Golden Calf" by Ilf and Petrov (a brilliant satyre of Soviet society in 20s of 20th century) and " You are not like other mothers" by Angelika Schrobsdorff. In the last day of 2005 I received "The Mermaid Chair" by Sue Monk Kidd from a bookring and should start with it soon as well.