5) Rabbit proof Fence

Rabbit proof fence
By: Doris Pilkington

Not sure why at work I suddenly start to read biographies. Is it so that I will look even more brainy around the students or is it because these books capture my eyes or is it that they are easy to lay down at a whim and pickup again without having to loose track? Honestly I don't know but I guess its a little mixture of all of them. Since its now holidays I have time to finish all these books that I have started in class, but never had time to complete for different reasons.

Rabbit proof fence is Australian and aboriginals. That you can tell from the language, I'm home I can feel the heat, breathe the red dust and become horrified at how white men think. This is one of those books where I'm ashamed to be white european on top of that. I'm also amazed at how ignorant people can be not to think what a person is willing to do to see their family again.

I give it a four and am still working on getting the dust from my skin.

page count: 5 705 + 133 = 5 838

4) The zookeepers wife

The zookeepers wife

by: Diane Ackerman

Hold your horses I have read a world war II biography and I really really liked it. This real war time story is about Warsawas zoo and The Zookeeper Jan Zabinski's wife Antonia. How she was fighting to save the animals at the zoo and after that the huge organisation in moving Jews out of the Warsaw Ghetto and out of an occupied poland. Around 300 people were helped, where only two were captured and killed. From page one I could not stop reading, it moved me and right now I have an urged to travel to warsaw and walk the streets, see the remains and try to wrap into my head how they lived during the occupation.

I give it a four.

page count: 5 424 + (323 -42) = 5705

3) Elsas Mode

Elsas Mode

By: Sofi Fahrman

This is Sofis debut book and from the reviews I have read im surprised. This is top chicklit no questions about it. Its girly about fame, fashion and the inner circle of Stureplan, Stockholm, Sweden. I'm not sure what I like it yet. Elsa is abit to "blonde" for me, naive etc. Still I could not put the book down and for some reason I can't wait until book 2 comes out (in pocket that is). It has bin over a week since I finished it and I still don't know what to think. Might come back and do a second review (if I come up with anything clever)

I give it a three and that is for the I don't know what it was that made an imprint on me (otherways it would have bin a two).

page count: 5 115 + 309 = 5 424

2) Dr Tatianas Sex advice to all creation

Dr. Tatianas sex advice to all creation

by: Olivia Judson

Oh My GOD!! This book is just amazing, if you have the slightest interest for biology and SEX! Why do hermaphrodites exist? Or why do Lions mate like manicas? Why do the red back spider male throws himself into the females deadly jaws asked to get killed? These and many more questions that I'm quite sure you have asked yourself at one point or another? Or for example why do some speceis have spikes on their penises? How come the silverbacks (male gorilla) testies are teeny weeny compared with the schimpanses.

I JUST LOVED IT!! finished it in a second with tears rolling while i'm at the same time horrified for what animlas will do for sex. Just to let you know females are much more sex addicts than any male you could ever imagine (with some exceptions that is).

I give it a Five.

page count: 4 881 + 234 = 5 115

1) Vampire Diaries- The Return Shadow souls

The Vampire Diaries- The return Shadow souls
by: L.J. Smith

Thank god book 6 redeemed itself after teh downfall of book 5. I still think though that it all should have ended with book 4.
Elena and Damon are traveling to the dark dimensions to find the pieces for the fox key. This is an emotional journey on all levels for all caracters involved. They meet some interesting caracters throughout this journey and ofcourse Elenas dearest friends catch up with them on this trip. Stefan is back and because of that its not as harsh as book 5 was. Book 5 reminded me of New moon from twilight in the pain I was feeling while reading it and the unbearable heartache that I had the entire time. Here thank good the heartache is relived, but not in any way that you can imagine. I'm now cheering for Damon!

I give it a four.

Page count: 4 395 + 486 = 4 881

5 down 5 to go

I have now read half my bookpile for this summer,
maybe I should start reviewing them soon to

Summer time reading

oh boy I'm reading

when ever get the urge I have at least 4 books by know to review that I have read from the 11th of june

Summer time reading

For the third year in a row I'm listing my summer reading. I have an aim this years to finish reading at least 10 books.

7) The selfish gene

The Selfish gene

by: Richard Dawkins

Its finshed finally. It was good, but think I would have enjoyed it more if I actually read it while studying this stuff in uni then now a couple of years later on. It all was repetition, but interesting to read it in hos own words not being told from a lecturer infront of a class.

Its pure biological sciene, but if you are nterested in ecolution, genetics and theories of symbiosis, genes, parasites, phenotypes, DNA and evolution. Then this book is a must. Even though it might take a while to finish it.

I felt that I couldn't read to many pages at a go, becasue my mind started drifting. But inside and outside the topic. Many pages have bin read and reread and reread again because I had no clue where I stopped where I was or what was going on.

I give it a 3 although

Page ecount: 8353 + 266 = 8619

6) The glass of time

The Glass of time

By: Michael Cox

Predictable oh my god this book is so preditable its almost scary. But although it is quite predictable find my self unwilling to let it go until I have read the last page.

The orphaned girl has an unknown mission that she needs to succed with and surprise surprise that mission is to ge the right guy to fall in love with her so that she can get hold of her rightful inheritance.

Not much drama, but its a nice story that has all the important traits: Drama, disception, love, betrayal, murders, the evil guy, the good guy in the background, the young boy with the biggest eyes and ears etc etc...

I give it 3 bambies

pagecount: 7822 + 531 = 8353

5) The time traveler's wife

The time traveler's wife

by: Audrey Niffenegger

I had heard a lot of good things about this book. Yes its a romantic love story and yes it is amazingly written. But when you have to be focused on what is happening and what age the caracters are what year it is it starts to get a bit confusing. This book jumps in time alot. He is a time traveler after all and that you can't miss. Sometimes I do wish it was clearer what age Henry is doing what. Or that might just be sleepy, not focused me reading ( & having to reread a couple of pages).

Its romantic (if you like that), amazing, but I have a problem with people that has a problem with moving on (llok who is talking).

I give it a 3

page count: 7304 + 518 = 7822

4) Mötley Crüe The Dirt: Bekännelser från världens mest ökända rockband

Mötley Crüe the dirt: Bekännelser från världens mest ökända rockband

by: Neil Strauss

Omg I could not stop reading. I new nothing about the band except that they play really really loud music & almost destroyed my hearing when I was working the bar at one of their concerts. Their story feels so surreal, sad and amazing all at once.
You feel sorry for them for their horrid childhods, get scared from ther alohol, drug and sex abuse. All the time I'm wondering how many sexual diseases they have bin carrying through out their lives. Fear and death is not part of their vocabular, instead its violence, damage and arrested.

For some rerason I had to start looking for more information online as I was reading, listening to songs etc on you tube. I didn't want it to end, I wanted more of the story than what I got even though its a sad story about 4 guys that want one thing and does allthey want/ feel like at the moment. On some occassions I see my students infront of me & am not surprised by this bands behaviour at all since they are on the influence almost the whole time. What does amaze me is that they actually managed to produe something that ould be called music and lyrics!

It all just ended to soon, I want more am not satisfied at all.

I give it a 4.

page count: 6731 + 573 = 7304

3) The Master and Magarita

The Master and Magarita
by: Mikhail Bulgakov

It only took 1 year and 9 months to fiish this book. The fist 200 pages to 1 year and 7 months and the rest I sped through decently.

I guess the satan came to town and people got put nto clnics for their amazing stories, events happened in town that were unexplainable and the cops didn't belive so the person retelling the story must be crazy.

Pontius pilates makes an appearne (or 5) and the writer wan't finish his book, his Margarita asks for help and satan gives her the help she needs.

A huge cat and another person causes mayhem where ever they go and what ever they touch.

I give it a 2.

page count: 6309 + (564 -142) = 6731

2) The bell jar

The Bell Jar
By: Sylvia Plath

If princess were a lucky find, this was an unlucky find. The story is about a girl that gets the best scholarship to go to new york and write for fashion magazines, but with no futureplans and not getting into the summer course she wants to attend her life falls apart & when she gets back home her life turns into how to kill herself and why she is pushing the decision forward.

The story is depressing and you fell her pain when reading it. You understand why its not going her way & all the time you wish that she will get out of the bad rut she is in.

I give it a 3.

page count: 6075 + 234 = 6309

1) Princess

Princess

by: Jean Sasson

I accidentally packed all my books down into the lugage that went into storage my last day in Dubai. I had 9 hours to kill after I had checked out from the hotel so I had a loong lunch, went shoppng for 5 hours and there decided to buy a new book that I could read until I got hold of my lugage. I had 4 hours to wait for that and then 2 hours at the airport.

So I walked into a bookshop and spent about an hour in the shelves there looking around. For some reason I wanted something about the middleeast and when I came to the biography section this book just jumped out at me.

And oh my god did it jump me. I read non-stop at a cafe for 3½ hours, then airport & on the arport I had to force mysel to try and get some sleep. I finished it in Vienna long before my flight was due to board.

Its a true story about a Saudi princess that got all the luxury in the world, execept human rights. She is a woman ie an animal with no rights to vote, drive, speak etc. She talks about friends that gets killed by their parents due to emberassing behaviour, men that rape young girls, servants etc.

Its about wearing bourka, forced marriages to men never met, and the total control that men have over womens lives in Saudi. It also talks about the jealosy of muslim women in other middle east coutries that ca drive cars, are not forced to cover their faces. How muslim sees other religions and nationalities that all women outside saudi is hores!

I was in shock the whole time, but now after wards I just have to get my hands on the two sequels to this book.

I give it 5.

page count: 5772 + 303 = 6075

10) The voyage of the Beagle

The voyage of the Beagle
By, Charles, Darwin

It took me 7 months to finish this book, Reason: Its sooo hard to read, the english is heavy and some sections of the book is soo boring its a drag to finish a page (or even a half).

Fom page 355 until the end it got iteresting and I finished that section in just 2 months, while the rest took for ever.
Yes its an old book, its a travel diary about a 5 year journey around the southern Hemisphere. Its a naturalist thats writing it and if you are not iterested in biologi (everyaspect of it) do not read this book. BUT if you are interested its a must, even if it will take you a long long time to finish it.

I'm a biologist but only interested in animals that has a spinalcord. Ie insects and plants are soo booring. That also makes some sections of this book boring.
Bt Darwins travels to the Galapagos Islands were my main point of interest in reading this book oh and new zealand, tahiti, Australia and the rest of the indian ocean and the pacific ocean.

I'm amazed over his stand point n so many things towards how human beings at this poit of time is treating eachother, didn't really think that he would have such a clear stand in 1800 human rights that he has. In the end he talk about how happy he is that he will never have to visit some of these countries with slavery again. Its also amazaing that during a five year journey he is only at one place med with no hospitality, its has bin amazing reading about all these locals he had met and their hospitality for him and almost eagerness to help grant him some of his dreams and whises he has in different areas.

I have 2 qoutes that I love:

"The common people when working: keep the upper part of their bodies quite naked; and it is then that the Tahitians are seen to advantage. They are very tall, broad-shouldered,athletic, and well-proportioned. It has been remarked, that it requires litte habit to make a dark skin more pleasing and natural to he eye of an European than his own colour." (pg: 384)
Its clearly the horny sigle woman inside me that gets moved here. I'm just visualsing tall, dark, well muscled men working in the sun and in my world that IS a pleasing sight.

"Farewell, Australia! you are a rising child, and doubtless someday will reign a great princess in the south: but you are too great and ambitious fo affection, yet not great enough for respect. I leave your shores without sorow or regret." (pg: 428)
Darwin did not fall in love with Australia, he saw the harsh reality of the continent, but clearly missed the most gorgeous area (the tropics).


So happy that I have completed it and as a colleague said: "You have read it, you have read Charles Darwins travel diary, thats amazing!".

I gve it a 2 mainly de to the botay bit, the HARD english grammar



page count: 135 + 1642= 1777

9) Innocence

Innocence
By: Kathleen Tessaro

Easy beach read. The perfect book to bring in the sun, but it did annoy me quite a bit, not sure yet what I think about it but it is for sure a chick lit that is easy to read and you will finish in a couple of days. Cute cover though.

page count: 439+2867=3306

photo: Adlibris

8) Adrift in Caledionia

Took a little longer in finishing book 8.


Adrift in Caledonia
by: Nick thorpe

A travel journal about his travels by floating devices around scotland start and end in Edinburgh. An interesting history, travel book, telling you both about the people he met and places he visited. It was alittle of adrag reading though, nothing I finished in a couple of days/hours as I do with a good book.

page count: 334+ 2533=2867

photo: nickthorpe

In what order to read them?

This is the pile of books that I'm aiming to finish this summer (yes looks quite daunting), not sure how far I will get but some more will be finished by the time school starts again in august.


which book do you think I'm reading at the moment?
I will give u a hint: its iin english and written by a male

How many books do you actually think I will finish?

7) How to walk in high heels

Ehm what to say. Was a drag, took for ever to finish. Does people actually read this seriously?? I thought it was gonna be funny take the piss out of stuff, but no I was horribly wrong.

well if you happened to be utterly stupid and now nothing about nothing this is the book for you (sorry if anybody got offended by this)



How to walk in high heels
by: Morton, Camilla

page count: (449-194) + 2278=2533

photo: Adlibris