Stream Of Suggestions Part 2

'To Say Nothing Of The Dog' was my first book in the stream of suggestions challenge. I really liked this idea so, despite dropping my reading challenges in general, I'm going to continue on looking for links between books.

Number 2 in my personal 'Stream Of Suggestions' will be 'Three Men in A Boat' by Jerome K. Jerome.
I first became interested in this book whilst watching the TV series 'Three Men in A Boat'. This, if I remember correctly, was about a river journey tracing the book. I found it very funny in places and was intrigued by the trips to places that I had been to, or at least knew of.
In 'To Say Nothing Of The Dog' the main character sees Jerome K. Jerome making his journey down The Thames. Again, there were many references which went over my head without having read the original book.
So now I'm sitting down to remedy the problem and hopefully remember some of the lovely humour from the book and TV series. Along the way I'm hoping that I will doscover the authors own humour and more about the history of some of the places that I have heard of first-hand of from others.

Keep an eye out for the books and authors that I discover references to as I make my journey. Where will the stream take me?

The Last Battle (A Review)

Magical!
Revolutions being not my favourite biblical book, I was put off from reading this story which I had associated with it. But I was wrong! This has just become my favourite of all the Narnia books!
What's so special about it is the way the pleasure of the children transcends the page. You can imagine their joy and almost feel like you're there as well. There are no floral descriptions, but simple comparisons and admitions of being unable to describe what is being imagined take their place nicely. The links with the bible are clear, but not pushed in your face. I came away with a nice warm glow for which I can only thank C.S. Lewis.
The perfect end to a wonderful series!

Please do not request any of the books in the Narnia series- the book I was reading from is on my keeps list!
However do keep a look out here, on BookCrossing, BookMooch and Born Free Books, as I have a few old copies I may consider releasing into the wild at some stage.

My blog backgrounds

With the advent of blogger backgrounds I chose a blue one with a book on it. Perfect to describe my blog- after all it is all about books. But then I got to thinking- did it really reflect my reading habits? And so, joining the Narnia Reading Challenge, I decided to change it to something more appropriate (in this case a Narnian-style wood). And then the challenge finished and I read some different books. And I got to thinking- why not change my background to suite that new book? The result- those of you visiting my blog will now see a variety of backgrounds relating to the book I'm currently reading.

I hope that this backgrounds will not only produce a bit of variety, but also help you decide what to read next.

Does you blog have an interesting background? Is there a story behind the backdrop of you website? Please do share.

Guppies for Tea (A Review)

Exceedingly accurate and sometimes moving, I thought at first that this book would be too much for me. But as it went on the side-plots became more interesting. I would have liked to have known what the author thought would happen next- it all ended on rather a cliff-hanger.

This book came from a ray on BookCrossing, however I do have another copy which I am willing to send out to my UK followers. If you're interested please leave a comment saying why you would like this book.

A Small Person Far Away (A Review)

I didn't find this book as interesting as the previous two in the series. It seemed to lack the interesting stuff about fitting in, apart from where it repeated incidents originally told in the other books. The character of Mama seemed rather unrealistic and, although I sympathised with her, Anna didn't seem as interesting. I came away from this book rather disappointed.

This book was part of a BookCrossing ray. Please ask there if you would like to read it.

The Silver Chair (A Review)

I think this was probably the story that I was most interested in whilst watching the TV Narnia episodes many years ago. It had it all- intrigue, action, special effects and Tom Baker. No special effects (or Tom Baker come to mention it) in the book, but with a little imagination the words can really come alive. The way in which the children are portrayed is particularly interesting in this story, and even more so when you understand C.S Lewis' childhood. The story seems more grown-up somehow and Aslan more akin to the average Christian's relationship with God than in the other books I've read so far. All together well worth reading, after all it is part of our literary heritage!

Please do not request this book- it is in my 'keeps' collection!

Back To Narnia

I've finished all my BookCrossing rings and rays for the timebeing and so have a chance to return to the world of Narnia once more. As I previously said, I've been reading The Silver Chair alongside my main read. However, my voyage through the World of C.S. Lewis was temporarily halted when I started reading The Testament of Gideon Mack (surely a sign of how good that book was). Now I go back to Narnia. And with it goes my blog wallpaper- back to the woods where we first came across the secret world. The reading challenge may have ended but, if you too have read these books and have a comment to make, please do let me know.

The Testament of Gideon Mack (A Review)

I seem to be reading rather a lot of fictional books that claim to be real at the moment. First there was 'The Woman Who Walked Into Doors' and now there's 'The Testament of Gideon Mack'. The blurb describes this book as "a compelling blend of memoir, legend, history and, quite possibly, madness". I wonder what other books of this kind have fallen on to me shelves yet to be noticed by myself?

A rather unique premise which made me want to read on and on. Wasn't sure what my opinion would be of this book, but it was extremly well-written and surprisingly easy to believe given the unusual premise.

This book was part of a BookCrossing ring! The ring has reached the end of its life now, but the originator has asked for the book to be returned to them, so please let them know if you would be interested in reading it. 

The Woman Who Walked into Doors (A Review)

Wow! Its hard to believe that this story is a work of fiction, let alone by a male author writing as a woman. So believable was the tone and 'voice' of the text that this was emotionally harder to read than many real life stories I have read. I almost went as far as putting the book away because of the feelings it was creating. But I'm glad I persisted- this book is fantastically written and is a must read, if just for the experience.

This book was part of a BookCrossing ray- please don't request it from me, check out BookCrossing to join the ray if you're interested.

Bombs on Aunt Dainty by Judith Kerr (A Review)

Charming and emotional at the same time, this book portrays what it is like to be both a teenager and someone living in a place that has yet to fully accept them. You really feel like part of the events. Suitable for teenagers and adults alike!


This book was part of a ray- please join the BookCrossing ray if you would like to read this copy!