Books, books, books...

I mentioned it a few times here, I am not a public crafter and in fact it took me a while to tell people about my craft addiction and about this blog. I am not sure why, I suppose the fact that one of my ex-boyfriends said it was really old-fashioned and stupid may have something to do with it... To be honest, on my train to work, there will probably no elbow space for me to do anything, so instead I read, and as it happens quite a lot. I thought that once in a while I would share my latest reads as I know a lot of you are also avid reader.

There is something for everyone here, French and English (I try to alternate between French and English books), some will be translated - some may never be (and in fact should not be...). Like this first one... 

Romain Puertolas, L'extraordinare voyage du Fakir
qui etait reste coince dans une armoire

I finished this book in 5 days - however this is not a sign of its high quality. I was drawn by the lengthy, weird and wonderful title - 'The extraordinary journey of a Fakir who has stuck in a IKEA wardrobe'. And to be honest, it was a very easy and pleasant read for a bout a third of the book. What a story! An Indian Fakir comes to France on a one-day return journey to buy a new bed of nails. He orders it and has to wait for the next day to get it - but where to sleep? Of course, in one of the IKEA beds. But he finds himself in need of a hiding place, and finds himself stuck in a IKEA wardrobe. The start of an extraordinary journey... or not. So yes, the storyline is bonkers, but I can deal with that, what I really did not like is the author style. He is trying to make (bad) jokes every page about the names of the protagonists and other silly things - totally distracting from the actual story. As you can imagine this is supposed to be a light-hearted book, except that the author decides to go on about his philosophical views on illegal immigration. I agree this is an important issue to discuss, but not when I bought a book because it sounded like a fun story. So, it is probably never going to be translated; if you speak French, I personally wished I bought myself something from IKEA with the money, but I did see some positive reviews, and this is only my personal view. 

Maria Semple, Where'd you go Bernadette. 

Out with the negative comments, and onto an amazing book! Bernadette Fox is famous. To her Microsoft-guru husband, she's a fearlessly opinionated partner; to fellow private-school mothers in Seattle, she's a disgrace; to designers, she's a revolutionary architect (who knits!!), and to 15-year-old Bee, she is a best friend and, simply, Mom. Then Bernadette disappears. It began when Bee brought back a stellar school report card and claimed her promised reward: a family trip to Antarctica. But Bernadette's intensifying allergy to Seattle- and people in general - has made her so agoraphobic that a virtual assistant in India now runs her most basic errands. A trip to the end of the earth is as you can imagine problematic. It is really funny, I loved the style - using emails, police reports etc - which makes it a very entertaining read. Total worth getting! I got it for the cover, and I am so glad I did!

Guillaume Musso, 7 ans apres

This is the second book I read from this author (that would be the name in big letter on the front page - the title is in a much smaller font... hmmm). You can find his books translated into English - he is in fact quite well known. My Mum is a big fan and leave them for me to take when I go to France. This is much better than the first book I read from him. A divorced couple gets involved in a drug affair as they are trying to find their son. It is quite a clever story, and it writes beautifully about New York and Paris. It is not one of my must-read but it is entertaining and an easy read for the train journey.

Helen Fielding, Bridget Jones - Mad about the Boy

Finally, Bridget Jones is back. I am sure you all know about it. I had pre-ordered the book, but never got round to read it until I started commuting again. I could have been really disappointed. I loved the first two Bridget Jones, and yes I have both films on DVDs. So how was going to relate to a 50-something Bridget Jones? Well interestingly, I think it is because we both moved on from being single in London, to being married and having children - trying to balance being the-best-to-our-abilities Mum, working and having a personal life as well. The comparison stops there though - I do not have a toy boy lurking in the backgroung. It is written in the style of the other Bridget Jones, and for that I am grateful, it felt like a safe territory. It is a great read, I cried, I laughed, I nodded a lot - all in one read. Definitely worth the pre-order! 

So what do you think my next book should be? What did you really enjoy reading recently? I have Donna Tart's Goldfinch - which is massive to carry around but apparently amazing, I have a Tracy Chevalier as well - always a good read... 

I link to the 52 Books Challenge - at this rate I should be on schedule!